Running
by Merina Green
Summary: What do you do when someone steals your Happily Ever After? Sometimes eternity can take an unexpected turn.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

AN: I own nothing; Stephanie Meyers owns everything. I DO own (the services of) a kick-ass black market beta by the name of JaspersDestiny, whom I purchased at the Fandom Gives Back auction and love dearly.

This story takes place post-wedding in Breaking Dawn. Isle Esme never happened, Renesmee never happened, and the Volturi never came to visit. Bella and Edward moved to Alaska to supposedly attend college. In reality, they were joined by the rest of the Cullens at a house in the remote wilderness, Bella's change went off without a hitch, and she and Edward began their Happily Ever After.

* * *

"What did you see? Is it Bella?" Jasper asked Alice for the fourth time that day. Sometimes it seemed like that was all any of them said anymore. "What did you see?", or its twin sister, "What did she see?", if the questioner was not directly addressing Alice. Or maybe its cousin, "Have you seen anything?", if the questioner had been away for any length of time. In the beginning, they had rarely left each other alone, but as the days dragged into weeks, and the weeks into months, and now the months approached almost a year and a half, they had been drifting into something that almost resembled their pre-tragedy routines.

Almost.

They may have stopped asking the question, but it was never far from any of their minds. Jasper wasn't a mind reader, but he could tell just from their emotions. When Carlisle had returned from Italy - empty-handed, as it were - the family had decided to remain at the Alaska house. None of them felt capable of faking a life amongst humans, and remaining at the retreat they'd set up to deal with Bella's newborn year had seemed like the best answer. No real ties to the surrounding area, no jobs, no fake identities at the local school, no cover stories needed. So there they'd remained, isolated from humans and their own kind. The Denalis had been to visit, of course, coming to hunt with them every few weeks. But, other than that, they'd seen no one; human or vampire. As time went by, though, even sitting with the stillness only a vampire could achieve wore thin. Emmett started it by beginning to play his video games again - habit, no doubt, but still... A few days later, Jasper had joined him – he seemed to be in less pain than the rest, and Jasper gravitated towards ANYTHING that resembled less pain. Then the women went into town to go shopping, ostensibly to replace the controllers Jasper and Emmett had broken. Then one morning, Carlisle announced that he was filling in at the nearest hospital – 60 miles away – for one of the doctors who had gone on maternity leave. Then Esme began a remodeling project in the basement of the house.

Almost normal.

Except nobody played the piano in the corner. And Bella, who'd not been with them long enough to have established herself in any one single aspect of their lives, nonetheless left a gaping hole in all of them with her absence. To an outsider, things appeared to be returning to normal – as normal as a family of vampires could be. But they knew it was a lie.

And then Alice, who still checked several times a day for any sign of their missing sister, finally, after months of seeing nothing, saw something. At Jasper's question, the others silently appeared in the room, instantly dropping whatever they'd been doing.

"It's Bella," she whispered, and if possible, they all became even more still, watching Alice ride out the vision. It was brief, over in seconds.

"It was Bella," she repeated, her eyes clearing and refocusing on those around her. "She's alive."

Silence continued to reign for a split second, then pandemonium. "YES!" Emmett shouted, pumping his fist in the air, then picking Rosalie up and dancing around with her. Esme grabbed Carlisle in a hug, and if she could have cried, she would have been. Jasper, well, feeling the shock of positive emotions hitting him for the first time in months, almost passed out – if that was possible.

After a few moments, though, Carlisle shouted, "Enough!", and everybody quieted again, turning back to Alice, who was dancing around in the center of the floor, a real smile on her face for the first time in a long time. Jasper was so relieved, so happy – not just about her seeing Bella, but to be able to see his mate happy again. "Alice?" Carlisle asked. "What did you see? What can you tell us?"

The dancing stopped and Alice turned to face her waiting audience. "It was Bella. She's alive," she repeated her words from a moment ago.

"Are you sure?" Carlisle asked.

"Positive," Alice nodded. "She's all alone, and she doesn't look very good, but she's definitely alive."

"Why now? Why all of a sudden can you see her again?" Esme asked.

Alice shrugged. "Something must have changed. She had to have made some kind of decision, some kind of conscious decision, for me to have seen her. She hasn't made any kind of decision since..." her voice trailed off, and Esme winced, nodding. Bella hadn't made a conscious decision of any kind since Edward had died. In fact, they couldn't be sure she had actually been left alive herself. All they'd had to go on was the fact that Alice had seen Edward killed, but had seen nothing of the sort involving Bella. Well, that, and one glimpse, months after the tragedy, that they couldn't even be sure was a vision of Bella, though Alice had insisted it was...

"..._stone walls. Some sort of, I don't know...pit? Dungeon? There were no windows, no doors."__ Alice looked at Carlisle, who nodded._

"_There are such places in Volterra," he said slowly, unwilling to admit that she was being held by his former friends, especially when Aro had denied all knowledge of such a thing when Carlisle had accused him, months ago. "Built to hold our kind...when they don't want to destroy them out of hand..._"

"_But, how can they contain a vampire?" Esme asked, puzzled._

_Carlisle shook his head, glad for once that no one else in his family had Edward's abilities. "There are ways, Esme," he said, and it was clear that he was not going to elaborate._

That glimpse had been nine months ago.

"Can you tell where she is?" Jasper demanded, cutting to the important part. The rest of their questions didn't matter right now. Alice shook her head, and he growled in frustration, unable to stop it before it slipped out. Alice just winked at him and ignored the growl.

"It looks like she's in some sort of...cave. A natural cave, not a dungeon now." Esme winced again at the reminder of the last time Alice had seen Bella. "There's light. It looks like natural light, but I'm not seeing an entrance...just rocky walls."

"Well, then, that shouldn't be so hard," Emmett said, still excited. They all looked at him like he'd lost his mind, even Carlisle.

"What?" he asked, getting defensive. "You remember back when the army was looking for that bin Laden dude, and there was that video of him and a cave, and all the experts got together and thought they knew where he was 'cuz of the type of rocks the cave was made of..." he trailed off as the family continued to stare at him.

"Well, yeah, that would be a great idea, Em," Jasper said, "if Bella's cave was lined with Gucci bags or designer gowns. But geology has never held much of an interest for Alice." He shot a wave of apology at his mate, and she smiled back at him, not offended in the least.

"Jasper," Esme said, reprimand clear in her voice.

"No, Esme, he's right." Alice sighed. "I can draw a picture of the rocks around her, but that's about it. The POINT is, something has caused her to make a conscious decision of some sort – even if it was only to open her eyes and acknowledge her surroundings...but it's a start. If she's done that, she might do more." She paused, her eyes unfocusing a bit – in thought, not vision this time – and added softly, "She HAS to."

* * *

Bella's eyes snapped open. Something had changed. Something had made a sound...something had been in here with her, something had invaded her sanctuary. Her den. Her grave. Slowly, without turning her head, her eyes scanned the cave she sat in. What had the sound been? She tried to recreate it in her head, but couldn't. That was odd. She thought vampires had perfect recall. Was she so far gone that that was no longer true? She remembered Carlisle's story, how he said vampires couldn't starve to death. So, even if she felt like it - even though she refused to hunt - she couldn't really be dying. She couldn't be fading away, even if that was what it felt like. Even if that was what she wanted.

Some sort of animal, perhaps...she inhaled deeply, taking in the air around her for the first time in a long time, savoring the scents, and trying to interpret them without much success. Dirt. Stone. Cold, dry air that carried very little information about anything on it. Something alive – some sort of small rodent, very faint. And there...even fainter...something else. Something unfamiliar. Something that stirred fear in her, instinctive fear. What should she do? She didn't know what to do. She searched her vampire memories – few as they were - for anything that might help... Nothing came to mind. She decided to wait, to see if it came again, whatever it was. After all, what did she care?

She didn't have long to wait. She wasn't sure HOW long she waited, as she'd slipped back into her trance, but the temperature of the air around her hadn't changed, so she knew it hadn't been long. There was the faint sound of footsteps coming from the direction of the cave opening, and she was hit with the mysterious scent from before. Strong this time. Closer. And then the light changed, and she knew whatever it was had entered her cave. Without conscious thought, a growl erupted from deep inside her. A warning. Stay out. Stay away.

It was met with an answering growl.

* * *

"Bella," Alice whispered, and just as they had days earlier, they were almost instantly by her side, waiting for what she'd say. "It's the cave again. The same cave. There's...someone else. A man," she whispered, and everyone tensed. They didn't say anything, though, not wishing to disturb her. "Nobody I recognize. I don't know. He looks foreign, somehow. Dressed for hiking – carrying a backpack. He's speaking..." She frowned. "I can't understand what he's saying. Neither does she. Wait. He's speaking again – sounds like a different language this time. Now another. He's moving closer to her – he sounds worried. She's not moving, but she's watching. Oh...this isn't good, this isn't good..." Alice trailed off. "Leave, leave," she whispered. "Oh, this is going to end badly. Wait...he's speaking Russian now...I can understand a bit...he's asking if she's alright. She looks...bad. Really bad. Her clothes are all torn. She's wearing one of the outfits she took with her on her trip." Alice tensed. "Oh, Bella, don't..." she whispered, then flinched and cried out, "Oh, Bella!"

"Well," said Emmett, matter of factly, not looking nearly as horror-struck as the rest of his family did. "I guess she made a decision there, huh?"

* * *

Bella didn't move, but her eyes focused on the direction of the cave entrance and the growl coming from it. The sound increased as whatever was making it drew closer to her, and hers faded away to silence. A moment later, the figure came into view. The low light of the cave did not prevent her vampire sight from seeing what had found her.

Her eyes told her it was a man. A man in a very old, ragged-looking uniform of some sort. Her nostrils, however, told her a different story. She didn't know what he was, but he wasn't human. Or Vampire. Or a wolf, like the Quileutes back in Washington. He was unknown. And that made him dangerous.

Dangerous. What did she care if he was dangerous? That was a good thing, right? Her instincts told her he was a danger to her, and he was clearly angry. Angry enough to attack? Strong enough to kill her? Whatever he was, he was screaming at her now, pacing back and forth in front of her – not coming too close, staying far enough away that perhaps, given her weakened state, he could escape if she lunged. But why would she? She wanted death, didn't she? She wanted to end this existence. And look, right here in front of her, the answer to her prayers, pacing and screaming at her.

Edward had been so wrong. There was a god, and he clearly cared about vampires. Enough to send destruction to her door step, just as requested. What would she have to do, she wondered, to get him to attack instead of just yell?

She watched carefully as the man, or thing, or whatever it was, continued to pace back and forth. He was spitting in his anger now, and she thought fleetingly that he looked more than a bit like a rabid dog...rabid dog...that stirred some thought, deep in her memory...

She didn't have time to complete the thought - even with her vampire brain - because the thing was finally screaming a word she understood. "OUT. OUT. OUT!!!" he screamed, gesturing at the cave opening behind him. And then, much more quickly than he had appeared, he was gone with almost vampire-like speed.

* * *

"Well," said Alice. "At least she's not starving any more. Maybe she'll start moving around more now, and give us some idea of where she's at..."

"What was he saying? There at the end? Could you understand what he was saying?" Jasper asked, eager to have any information that could help them.

Alice looked at Carlisle and finally smiled, "Thanks to Carlisle's paranoia, yes, I got a fair bit of what he was saying once he switched to Russian. Looks like those lessons finally came in handy, 'Dad'."

The others chuckled, too. During the Cold War, Carlisle had insisted they all learn Russian. Just in case. There'd been several instances when Alice's visions had been extremely blurry about the outcome of various situations and Carlisle thought it was best to be prepared for anything. It had been language lessons that they'd rarely, if ever, had a chance to put to good use. The Soviet Union had always been low on their list of places to visit for a variety of reasons, in spite of its varied hunting opportunities.

"And?" Jasper finally asked, the impatience of all of them reflected in his voice.

"Well, he was just asking if she was all right, if she was lost, if she needed help. That sort of thing." While she spoke, she quickly sketched, the image of the man in her visions quickly appearing on the paper Rosalie had slid in front of her on the table.

"Hmm... Just looks like a typical hiker to me. No hints in what he's wearing. Well, it's obviously not winter, wherever she is – he's wearing shorts. No way of knowing when the vision is for, though, is there?" Carlisle asked Alice, looking hopeful.

Alice shook her head. "No. It could be now, it could be next week, it could be next month. I suppose it COULD be next year, but I usually don't see this random sort of thing THAT far out. I think we could safely assume, for now, that it is THIS summer. Which puts her in the northern hemisphere. Somewhere where the people would try several languages, other than English, to communicate – including Russian. Though I'd like to point out it wasn't his first language choice."

"Hmmm..." Carlisle said, looking thoughtful.

"Well, I hope we figure out where she is quickly," Esme said, still looking slightly horrified by what Alice had just seen. "So we can go get her before she slips again."


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I don't own this, SM does (gee, does writing that ever get old?). Thanks to everyone who took a look at the first chapter and are willing to come back for another hit. And many thanks, as always, to JaspersDestiny******.**

Chapter 2

Bella sat very still for a while. It could have been minutes, hours, or days – she didn't know and she didn't care. She replayed the odd intrusion into her cave over and over in her mind, like a film stuck on an endless loop. It was pleasant, in a way. It replaced the movie that had been playing there previously for the past eternity – the movie of Edward dying. Now she had a new movie to watch. Perhaps, if she was lucky, it would turn out to be the first scene in the movie of HER dying.

"Out. Out. Out!!!" the thing had shouted at her before it had left. The thing that had looked like a man, but wasn't. Did that mean it had wanted her to leave? Or was it waiting for her outside the cave? Did she need to leave her cave for it to kill her? She debated that – would it be worth leaving her cave for? What if it wasn't out there waiting for her? What if that wasn't what it meant at all? Then she would have moved for nothing. Perhaps it was better to just wait here for it to return, even if it wanted her outside – if she didn't appear, it would no doubt come back in and start yelling at her again. Or maybe it wouldn't. Alright. She would go outside.

She stood and was mildly surprised to find no stiffness, no soreness, no…slowness. She knew she shouldn't feel any of those things – vampires did not get stiff, or sore, or uncomfortable. But, still, after sitting here for who knew how long – months, certainly, based on the coming and going of the snow – she expected to feel SOMETHING in her body indicating she had been motionless for such a long time. She tested her surroundings with all her senses, and nothing new came to her. The scent of the creature was still there, but it was just the lingering scent of its earlier visit. As she got closer to the opening of the cave, she detected a few other scents – other animals – and for the first time since she'd sunk into a stupor at the back of her cave, she realized her throat burned with thirst. If this thing wasn't out here waiting for her, she thought, she might be forced to go hunt. The idea displeased her, and made her angry with the creature. IT had threatened HER. Why should she have to search it out now? It should be here, waiting for her to come out. Just like it told her to.

And then she was out. Out on the ledge of the cave. And she saw, for the first time, where she was.

It was breathtaking – not that she had any breath to be taken. But it was beautiful - mountainous, rocky, and desolate. Her cave was well above the tree line. In fact, even with her vampire sight, she couldn't make out any trees anywhere, even down in the valley below her. In the distance were beautiful snow-covered mountains, their conical shapes telling her they were volcanoes – one of them even had what appeared to be smoke coming from its peak, although, in all honesty, it could have been cloud cover.

Where in the world was she? And how had she come to be here? Again, her lack of clear memories was a puzzle. Edward…the name brought a shot of pain stabbing through her – Edward had always told her a vampire's memory was perfect. And hers was, to a point. That point being his death. Everything after that was fuzzy. She stood on her ledge, studying her memory, trying to find something in it that would tell her where she was and how she got here.

* * *

"Bingo!" Alice yelled, and frantically grabbed for the paper and pen that Rosalie once again held ready for her. She started drawing, her eyes still lost in the visions she was seeing, and the views of the mountains, the volcanoes, and the deep mountain lakes quickly took shape under her flying fingers. Then the vision was gone, and the family gathered around the table to see what she'd drawn.

Emmett was the first to speak. "I don't recognize it."

"Me, either," Rosie said. They looked at the rest of their family members, hoping one of them had better luck.

Esme and Alice shook their heads, but Carlisle looked thoughtful, carefully studying the six different scenes Alice had drawn. After looking at the pictures for a moment, Jasper ran up the stairs. He quickly returned, carrying two large books that he presumably took from Carlisle's study - or perhaps his own library - and put them down on the table. They were illustrated atlases.

"Kamchatka," he and Carlisle said at the same time, locking eyes.

"Where?" Emmett asked, still puzzled.

"Kamchatka," Carlisle repeated, flipping quickly through the books. "It fits. The volcanoes, the man's use of Russian - it must be the Kamchatka peninsula."

They crowded around the table to see. Two of the photos on the page showed scenes very similar to the ones Alice had drawn. "Bingo, indeed," Jasper said softly, repeating Alice's words from earlier. "We have a winner."

"But, why would Bella go to Kamchatka?" Esme asked, puzzled. "What is there? Why would she cross an entire continent, then stop? Why wouldn't she just come on the rest of the way home – she's so close!"

"She's close," Carlisle agreed, nodding, "but, that last leg of the journey is practically impossible, even for a vampire."

"Ya know," Emmett said thoughtfully, "maybe Bella doesn't even know where she is…"

The rest of the family looked at him like he was crazy. Again.

"Hey!" he said, defensively. "Hear me out. You mocked me with my cave idea, pointing out Alice's deficiencies in the area of geography. Well, I'm sorry – but think about it. I'm pretty sure GEOGRAPHY isn't one of BELLA's strong points. She's only been through high school once, and correct me if I'm wrong, but she probably wasn't paying that much attention to anything but Edward those last couple of years. Anatomy? Oh, yeah. Drama? Definitely. Geography? Not so much. Heck, I've been through high school and college HOW many times? And even I didn't recognize what Alice drew – NONE of us did, except Carlisle and you, Jasper – and that's only because it probably has some obscure military importance that nobody cares about, but you. I mean, come on – she sees a volcano, and she probably thinks she's just outside Portland, or something. Not saying anything bad about Bella…anyway. So, say she doesn't know where she is. She MIGHT not even know how she got there – she might have just started running, and not stopped 'til she hit water."

Carlisle nodded thoughtfully. "You're right, Emmett."

"Well, you don't have to sound so surprised," the huge vampire huffed. "I'm not as dumb as I look. And I DO know my little sister." Rosalie stroked his hair and gave him a kiss, which seemed to mollify him somewhat.

"You're right, except I don't think she ran there," Carlisle said. "She was in that…other place…that Alice saw, months ago, but we don't know for how long. And we can't be sure where it was, but Kamchatka is a very long way from anywhere. She couldn't have gone that far - made it that far - on her own, without making SOME sort of decision. Hunting requires decision-making, even if it is on the most basic level. Alice's vision of her most recent meal being a case in point. No, I think she got there some other way. And that bothers me. Quite a bit." He started pacing back and forth, deep in thought.

"I have a really bad feeling about this whole situation," he said, finally coming to a halt and facing his family. "I've said it from the start, something was off about that whole situation in Italy. Their disappearance was just too damned convenient. Aro assured me he knew nothing about it, but I don't think I believe him. I hate to say that. What Alice saw earlier…of Bella in that room…I HAVE seen such places. I have seen vampires in them. I have seen what the Volturi do to vampires, the ones they don't kill immediately. And it kills me to think of them doing that to my daughter. If that is what happened to her…I'd almost be willing to say that Edward had the better fate." He looked at Esme, apology in his eyes.

Esme shut her eyes, pain written on her features, and Carlisle continued, "I'm SURE they had something to do with it all. And Bella – wherever she was for all that time, right after Edward's death…that was definitely against her will." He looked to Alice, who nodded. That's what Alice believed, though there was no way to know it for sure. Her vision had been all but useless, the near-pitch black of Bella's surroundings making it impossible for even her vampire eyes to pick out details. All it had done was confirm that Bella had been alive at the time. "So, she was no doubt a…a prisoner, if you will, for what - 8 to10 months after the trip? That puts us at last October. Then she disappears. Now it's June, and she reappears. We don't know if she fed at all while she was imprisoned, but we have no evidence of it, at least not from Alice's visions. She could NOT have crossed a continent without feeding, without doing SOMETHING that would have triggered a vision for Alice. She might have missed Bella feeding once or twice, but it would have taken more than that to cross that distance. I know what it's like to try to starve yourself. She might have been doing a good job of it there in that cave, but she couldn't have kept it up and traveled at the same time. No, I'd bet she was taken to that place and left there, for some reason…"

Jasper nodded, taking Carlisle's place in the pacing. Jasper didn't stay quiet while he paced, though – he was doing his thinking out loud.

"But to what purpose? Why take her there? She was a prisoner. Why change that? Did they change their minds? Did they try to…convert her…and it didn't work? But, if that was the case, why not just kill her outright? They usually don't have any problems destroying vampires, so why not Bella?" Jasper stopped to pick up Alice's picture of the stranger and stare at it, as if willing it to give him some answers.

"Alice," Carlisle said, turning to her again. "Are you sure you've seen nothing of anybody else…deciding anything? Anything that MIGHT be tied to this situation?"

Alice shook her head. "I'm really sure, Carlisle. That doesn't mean anything, though – remember that. My visions are very subjective, and I don't see EVERYTHING. My visions don't come in order, either. The hiker…Bella exiting the cave…it might not have happened in that order."

"I know, I know." He sighed, frustrated. "Well, this speculation is all good and well, but it doesn't change the fact that Bella has been - and might still be - in some very real danger. And we need to go get her, now that we know approximately where she is. "

"How do we get over to Kamchatka?" Esme asked. "We can't exactly rent a charter plane."

"No," Jasper said thoughtfully, "But we can do the next best thing…"

"Excellent," Alice said, her eyes glazing again. "Carlisle, give the Denalis a call."

* * *

It turned out - to no one's surprise (even without Alice's confirming vision) - that Jasper's instincts about the succubus sisters were correct. The Denali sisters did, indeed, have an 'in', as it were, on a charter of sorts that could get someone across the Bering Sea.

"You meet all sorts in our line of…work," Tanya had said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "These gentlemen make regular runs to Ostrev Beringa – the Commander Islands - just off of Kamchatka. Relatively speaking anyway… At any rate, you would be able to go the rest of the way with whoever it is they make connections with there."

"But why would they be willing to allow someone to ride along with them, if what they are doing is illegal?" Emmett asked.

Jasper sighed. "We wouldn't be asking for a ride, Emmett."

"Stowaways?" Emmett asked, getting excited and jumping up. "Awesome, dude! Some James Bond action - count me in!"

"Absolutely NOT!" Rosalie said, grabbing his hand and yanking him back down. "Don't be an idiot. You don't speak Russian – at all," she said, a bit smugly. Emmett groaned in frustration. He'd always thought Carlisle's language lesson idea had been stupid at the time. Now he was wishing he'd put a little more effort into it – or any effort at all, for that matter.

"Rosalie's right, Emmett," Carlisle said, a hint of apology in his voice. "You'd need to be able to speak Russian. Even if you're not interacting with any humans, you're going to have to figure out a way to get Bella back home once you find her. And that WILL require a fairly good working knowledge of Russian – spoken and written."

All eyes turned to Jasper. Out of all of them, he'd gone the furthest with the Russian lessons, always being a man with an eye to war and strategy.

He nodded at the unspoken question he could sense from the family's leader. "I'll go. Alice, will you join me?" he asked, turning to his mate. He felt like their family was under a deliberate threat, and clearly Carlisle did too. He was more than a little unwilling to be separated from his mate's side, even if it was in the cause of rescuing their sister.

"Absolutely. I need to order some things for us," she said, heading for the computer. "We have to be properly equipped for a trip like this!"

"I can't wait to see what the well-dressed vampire stowaway is wearing these days," Rosalie said, rolling her eyes. "Only Alice could turn this into a reason to shop." Jasper smiled at her. Alice was just happy to be doing SOMETHING after months of inaction. They all were.

* * *

It turned out that the well-dressed vampire stowaway wore full Navy Seal wet suits, complete with boots, gloves, and full hoods resembling ski masks – all in black, which, amazingly enough, were available for purchase online and able to be over-nighted to their post office box in town, 60 miles away. Jasper suspected that they were probably knock-offs that no human should have trusted, but as they were vampires, it didn't really matter. There were also small, waterproof, form-fitting gear bags for them to carry basic supplies in. They'd have to steal whatever else they needed when they reached their destination – including regular clothing.

"We may not get cold," Alice explained when the equipment arrived the next day, "but, we'd look pretty obvious clinging to the side of the boat in the sunlight. Tanya says these guys have a smaller boat in port here, and they take it out to meet their cargo ship further out. Well, it's not THEIR cargo ship. They actually hitch a ride on it, like we'll be doing – just more openly. What they're transporting is small enough to carry with them – they just need a quiet way to get across the ocean to meet their contacts. We WILL be clinging to the side of the smaller boat for the first night, at least, but once they reach the big ship, we should be able to climb aboard and hide like proper stowaways."

"How long is the journey?" Carlisle asked, getting worried.

Tanya shrugged. "I have no idea. I have no interest in his…work…so I don't inquire too closely into the details. I just know they are leaving port next Sunday. I see him several times a year – he's a favorite of mine. I could look him up this evening, if you feel it's necessary..." she offered.

"No. It doesn't really matter." Carlisle sighed. "It will probably take a lot longer than is comfortable for any of us." He looked at both Alice and Jasper. "I don't know if this is such a good idea. You might have to go a long time without feeding, and to be trapped on a ship with humans…maybe we need to go about this differently."

"No," Jasper said sharply. "We already discussed other options while we were waiting for the Denalis to come over. This is the best way. Who knows how long it would take us to get over there otherwise. It may be just across the Bering Sea, but it might as well be on another planet. Even if we traveled up to Nome, stole a boat, and somehow made it across by ourselves, it would still take longer, and we might get shot out of the water – not that that would be a problem overall, but it would be a definite setback. No. This is the best way. If I have to eat a pirate or two, so be it."

"Fine for you," Emmett muttered. "But what about Alice?"

Jasper smirked a little at that. "It won't come to that. We'll hide in the hold. We won't move. We'll eat rats, if it comes to that. It should be a quick journey – smugglers don't make money just sitting around on the open ocean. They'll want to put into port as much as we do. Now, they're taking off in two nights – do we have everything we need? "

"I'm not eating rats," Alice said firmly.

"Alice," Jasper said, "I just meant that…"

"NOT. EATING. RATS."

"Okay, we're NOT eating rats. We're filling up before we go until we slosh. Then we're shutting down for the trip, okay? It shouldn't take much energy once we're on the cargo ship to just hide behind a box and hold our breath. I'm sure the stench will hide the smell of the human crew well enough. Now, do we have everything we need?"

"Alright, then," Alice said, mollified. "I don't know what we'll need – I haven't seen anything about the trip, I told you that. We're flying blind."

Flying blind. And none of them liked that. But they couldn't see any way around it – every other idea they'd had, Alice had seen ending badly, or just failing to get off the ground. So they went with the one that at least didn't fail outright from the get-go.

"Money," Carlisle said, who HAD put some thought into what they might need, laying out stacks of rubles and dollars. "I'm sending you with both – the American might come in handy. Cell phones – one for each – and chargers with adaptors. No programmed numbers – remember to only call the untraceable number we've set up. And papers for all three of you - hopefully you won't need them, but just in case."

Emmett groaned. "Man, I am SO jealous. This is SO James Bond."

Jasper glared at him. "Will you shut up already with the James Bond crap? We're talking about rescuing our sister here – real life, NOT the movies."

"I know, man, but geez, it's going to be so much FUN. And I'll be stuck back here…"

"With me," Rosalie reminded him, a little harshly.

"Tell you what, Emmett," Carlisle said, "You can monitor the phone lines – if you'll just SHUT UP so we can finish up here!"

This seemed to mollify Emmett somewhat, and he quit complaining.

"And, well, that's it. Just get in, grab Bella, and get out – as fast as possible. Oh, for the love of God, Emmett, now you've got ME talking like I'm in a spy movie," Carlisle finished up with a disgusted look at Emmett. "Okay. Now we hunt. You two need to eat until you slosh, then eat some more."

* * *

The hunting went well. They did, indeed, feed - then they fed again, and then again, just for good measure. Then they dressed in the wet suits that Alice had gotten for them. Jasper had to admit that Alice looked adorable in hers, but he felt like a complete idiot in his. Emmett's laughing didn't help - neither did Rosalie's snickering, or Esme's silent laughter. But Emmett was right – it was sort of fun. Jasper tried not to FEEL like it was fun, at least not around Emmett. He was looking downright depressed – almost as bad as he had when they first lost Edward and Bella. Throwing on regular clothes so as not to attract attention, they drove into town and down to the docks. Tanya directed them to the general area, giving them the name of the boat they were looking for, although she wasn't sure which berth was actually the correct one. All she did know was that the boat was leaving around 2AM. Luckily it was an overcast day, and they didn't have to wait for the long Alaskan day to dim enough for them to leave the car and start looking for the boat. Esme was actually the one to find it, and as soon as she did, they retreated back to the vehicles to wait until closer to the departure time. Jasper wanted to wait until full darkness to slip into the water – just to be safe. Rosalie accused him of being embarrassed to be seen in the wet suit. Emmett tried to convince both of them to "top it off" with a couple of stray dogs on the docks, but even Jasper thought that was ridiculous.

Finally, Jasper decided it was dark enough, or at least as dark as it was going to get – not to mention Emmett was driving them all nuts sitting in the back of the car humming the theme from Mission Impossible over and over. "For the love of God!" Rosalie had finally hissed at him. "Will you quit mixing your action films?" Alice, Carlisle, and Jasper exited the cars and strode over to the waterfront, leaving the rest of the family to wait. Too big of a crowd would attract attention at any time of day. They walked the docks until they were just a few craft away from their objective, and then they casually climbed aboard a nearby boat they'd determined to be deserted earlier. They entered the cabin to wait for a bit longer, making sure that nobody was nearby to see them. As soon as they reached the bottom of the steps, however, they realized the boat was no longer deserted.

"Going somewhere?" said a female voice.

Alice and Carlisle froze in place, but Jasper shoved them behind him, putting himself between them and the voice coming from the dark recesses of the cabin. He crouched down in a defensive stance, but said nothing.

"Don't worry, empath, I'm not going to hurt you. Or, your mate. Or, your…coven leader." An unfamiliar female vampire stepped out of the shadows and stood a few feet in front of them. "I've been watching your coven all day..."

"Waiting to get us separated?" Jasper interrupted her.

"Yes. But not for the purpose to attack you, like you would believe. It IS intimidating for a single woman to approach a large group such as yourselves."

"Not if your intentions are innocent."

"Mine are nothing but innocent. I'm just a cautious girl," she said, smirking.

"Well then, what DO you want with us?" All three of them could tell she was alone. Jasper could sense her emotions with no problem, but he found them a bit confusing. She was not intimidated at all, despite her words. She was not intimidated, or cautious, or anything else of the sort. She was - if anything - feeling a bit smug, and that was puzzling. Jasper didn't like puzzles in the best of times, and right now was a really bad time for any of this crap. "Spit it out, and hurry."

"Oh, don't worry, I won't keep you from whatever it is that brings you here," she said, clearly amused. Jasper couldn't tell how much she knew about what they were doing, based on her emotions. As a matter of fact, she didn't seem particularly interested in what they were doing at all.

"Actually," she said, suddenly turning brusque. "I am here to deliver a message."

"A message? From whom?" Carlisle asked, stepping forward now. Jasper knew it was not cowardice that had kept him back before – he'd been ready to grab his daughter and get her off the boat if things had turned ugly, trusting his son to take care of the threat.

"From someone who wishes to remain anonymous."

Jasper snorted. "Alright, then," Carlisle said. "We're here, and listening. What is the message?"

"We're entering troubled times, Carlisle Cullen. You need to be very careful. You ALL need to be very careful." She looked at each of them in turn, her red eyes burning into their gold ones.

"That's it?" he asked, puzzled.

"That's it," she said. She moved towards them, and Jasper reflexively crouched lower and growled. "May I exit?" she asked. He stood up and reluctantly stood aside. Carlisle also stepped back, allowing her to pass. As she walked by, she reached out and dragged her hand across Jasper's arm and then Alice's, but before they could react at all, she had disappeared up the ladder.

"STOP HER!" Jasper yelled, running up the ladder right behind her. He ran across the deck and jumped onto the dock, but she was nowhere to be seen. There'd been no splash, so he knew she hadn't entered the water. He started to run back towards the quay, but a heart wrenching scream behind him stopped him in his tracks.

"JASPERRRRRRRRRRRRR!" It was Alice's voice.

He hesitated. He needed to catch that woman. But it was Alice screaming for him. Alice, his…

…Nothing. There was nothing there. Nothing, where previously there'd been a tie - a tie binding him to Alice - for almost 60 years. And now…it was gone.

He stood on the dock, in shock, not even noticing when Emmett, Rosalie, and Esme ran to his side.

"What is it? Jasper? Jasper!!" Rosalie was shouting at him, but he didn't respond. Carlisle had appeared on the deck of the boat, holding the collapsed form of Alice in his arms.

"What the hell happened?" Emmett asked. "Who was that woman?"

That snapped Jasper awake. "You saw her?" he demanded, grabbing Emmett and shaking him roughly. "Which way did she run?"

"Hey, easy there, dude!" Emmett growled, grabbing Jasper's hands to stop him. "She ran up towards downtown. You'll never catch her now."

"I can track her," Jasper growled.

"What about Alice?" Emmett asked, looking over Jasper's shoulder to where Rosalie and Esme now gathered around Carlisle and Alice's still form.

Jasper groaned in defeat and let go of Emmett. The trail would still be there in a little bit. He turned back to his family.

He and Emmett jumped back onto the deck of the boat. Part of Jasper's mind registered the thought that it was a miracle that with all the commotion they'd caused, they'd apparently attracted no attention from anyone in the area. He slowly walked over to where Carlisle held Alice, who was still unmoving in his arms. He reached out cautiously and touched her cheek. Nothing. He felt nothing. No pull. No spark. Nothing. He gently stroked her cheek again, then dropped his hand. Her eyes flew open and stared at him, and he was able to take in her emotions. They matched his – empty.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Still, yet, and always, I don't own these people.

Chapter 3

Bella huffed in disgust. Apparently, emerging from the cave had not in any way hastened her hoped-for demise. Well, fine. She was going back in. To sit. And, wait. That…thing…whatever it was…would just have to come back in and get her.

She returned to her previous position, sinking into a realm only slightly less removed from her surrounding reality than she'd been for the last year and a half. This time the movie wasn't of Edward's death, or the opening scene of what she hoped would be her own death. In fact, it wasn't a movie scene at all. Instead, she puzzled over the stranger's appearance. She wondered vaguely about the scene that had greeted her outside her cave. And she continued to feel mildly angry that she was thinking or feeling anything at all.

She almost preferred the movie of Edward's death. But that had been on automatic replay for a long time, while she had sat and pretended she was going to die. Now that she was conscious - or something close to conscious - she rewound the movie a bit further. What she really wanted to do was take it back to the point where they'd been happy together - before the Volturi had entered the picture. But, evidently that wasn't going to happen today, either. At least she was able to recall the last time they'd laughed together...

_The flight from Seattle to London's Heathrow airport was long - not as long as the flight to Rome almost nine months previously, when she and Alice had gone to rescue Edward; and, certainly not filled with the sense of desperation that that flight had had. But long, nonetheless. Three hours into the nine-hour flight, Bella felt her colored contacts dissolve for the second time, forcing her to make her way to the restroom once again. As she made her way up the aisle to the restroom, she still felt sloshy from the multiple deer that Carlisle and Edward had made her consume before heading to the airport. Even with all their precautions, she was more than aware of the warm, breathing bodies surrounding her. It was one thing to restrain her blood lust on the occasional practice trip to the small towns near their remote Alaskan house; it was quite another to be trapped in close quarters with the equivalent of a vampire breakfast buffet. Hiding behind her shield helped a bit, as Carlisle and Edward had hoped it would. A little bit._

_Only an emergency would have gotten her on that plane. Only an emergency would have caused Carlisle or Edward to have allowed it. An emergency such as receiving a wedding gift from Aro, and a note promising a follow-up visit, a visit that a hysterical Alice insisted would end badly for the Cullens – although she couldn't see what would cause the problem, or the particulars of the outcome. Only that there would be smoking piles of ash in front of the house. Nobody wanted the Volturi coming to Alaska, which meant they were going to the Volturi._

_So, there they'd been, on a plane, winging through the night somewhere over the polar icecap on their way to London. And no matter how many times Alice's visions had assured them everything would be fine, that all it took was for them deciding to go to the Volturi - instead of allowing the Volturi to come to them - there was still that little bit of doubt in all their minds as to the outcome. Surely, it would be alright. They'd go, Carlisle and Edward would present her to the Volturi - proving that she'd been turned - they'd all shake hands, and then they'd go home._

_Settling in her seat again, Edward had reached for her hand and given it a reassuring squeeze. He __didn't relinquish it, which was reassuring. Actually, she hadn't known if it was to reassure her, or to __give him a chance to restrain her if temptation became too much; but, either way, she'd been grateful for the contact. The plane was silent and dark, the humans around them slipping one by one into sleep - Carlisle, Edward, and Bella pretending to join them. As she'd sat there with her eyes closed, she'd wondered about the pilots in the front, and thought how being a pilot would be a good career choice for a vampire. Maybe. Then she'd thought about the buffet again. Maybe not._

_Three more trips to the bathroom for contacts, and the plane finally began its descent over England. It was none too soon. The sloshing sensation had worn off by the third trip for contacts, and by the fourth trip, the burn was becoming a problem. It took forever for the plane to taxi after landing, and for a moment she'd been afraid something would go wrong and they would be required to stay on the plane, sitting on the tarmac for hours, like she'd seen happen on the news. She could picture it play out – there'd be no one left alive when they finally opened the door- just a bunch of drained corpses, a sated Bella, and a mortified Carlisle and Edward. The fantasy kept her entertained 'til they pulled up to the gate._

_After exiting quickly down the ramp, Carlisle and Edward whisked her through the airport to the rental counter. No longer being trapped with the buffet in the plane's cabin helped some, but not as much as she'd hoped. The airport was huge and crowded. Carlisle quickly acquired a car, and soon they were off, away from the airport, heading for the countryside. Edward sat in the back of the car with Bella, and they kept the windows rolled up. As fast as he was driving, it was still about an hour before Carlisle pulled off the road and headed up a small overgrown lane. Soon enough, he pulled to a halt before a small stone home - ancient-looking, but very well kept. They exited the car and Bella looked around in surprise._

"_Where are we?" she asked. She hadn't thought about it before, the details of their trip. When Carlisle had said they'd layover briefly in England for her to feed, she'd pictured them lurking in the woods somewhere._

_Edward grinned. "This is Carlisle's house."_

"_Your house?" she asked, turning to Carlisle in surprise. "Like, from when you were human?"_

"_Just so," he said, smiling at her. "I found it for sale in the middle of the last century, and I bought it and the adjoining farmland. At the time it was for sentimental purposes, but it turned out to be a good choice for my family in the long run."  
_

"_How so?" she asked, puzzled. "And what is that awful smell?"_

_Edward answered her before Carlisle could, "Sheep."_

"_A farm? You own a farm?" she asked, puzzlement turning to incredulity._

"_Well, yes – you see, there isn't much wildlife left in England, and certainly no large populations close enough to London to serve our purposes – we can make quite a dent in the local fauna as a family, you know. So…we own a farm. For emergencies. There's a tenant farmer who runs it; his family has for __generations. They live over nearer to the village. The house here is quite private."_

"_Sheep? You're going to feed me sheep?" She didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She was wishing she'd indulged in a few airline passengers while she'd had a chance._

_Carlisle looked apologetic. "I'm afraid so, Bella. You can have a cow, if you prefer. We have those also…" His voice trailed off when he saw the look on her face._

_Cry. She definitely wanted to cry._

"_Or rabbit. There are lots of rabbits about," Edward offered._

"_NOT helping things, Edward," she said, holding up her hand to stop him. The burn was becoming unbearable, and the sheep were starting to not sound too bad. "Which does Emmett prefer, sheep or cows? Or are there goats, too, and you just aren't telling me about them because you want them all to yourselves?"_

"_Oh, well, um, Emmett actually avoids England whenever possible. He and Rose usually fly straight to the mainland…there's a wildlife preserve just outside of Paris…"_

"_And we couldn't do that, WHY?" Bella screeched. "Did you feel it necessary for me to experience sheep before I go to face the Volturi?" She didn't point out that as a possible last meal, it was NOT what she would have chosen. Carlisle and Edward – and Alice – had all said there was nothing to worry about. She was just nervous, that was all it was. Nerves._

"_Bella," Carlisle said, a warning tone creeping into his voice. "It isn't the best of menu choices, but you need to feed, and feed well. And you need to do it in as remote a location as possible. This was our best option. The other choices for hunting were all too…populated…with humans. And you DO need to keep your voice down. We are isolated, but not THAT isolated. You'll give the neighbors nightmares."_

_Bella sniffed in disdain. "I'd hardly call eating a sheep feeding well." She stalked off in the general direction of the stench. "Do you have a preference for which ones I take? I wouldn't want to take down your best bull, or ram, or whatever the hell it is…"_

_Edward followed her, catching up in a heartbeat. "It won't be that bad. Look, I'll join you…"_

"_Oh, don't bother, Edward. No need for you to suffer needlessly," she told him, sarcasm dripping from her voice. She jumped the fence and headed out into the pasture, her eyes picking out the forms of sleeping sheep despite the darkness. With a resigned sigh, she darted across the field, and in less than three seconds had grabbed two of the sleepy creatures, snapping their necks before they even realized they'd been grabbed. The rest of the animals lumbered awake and, with terrified bleating, took off across the field. Bella drained the two unlucky victims quickly, and in spite of the fact that her meal had consisted of what tasted like a wet wool sweater, she had to admit she felt better._

"_Where do you want me to bury them?" she asked Carlisle, after she trudged back across the field to them - at human speed this time._

"_I'll take care of them," Edward told her. "You go inside and get cleaned up. Our flight leaves in four hours. Are you sure you are full?"_

"_Quite sure, Edward. All I'll have to do is THINK of the sheep, and I'll lose my appetite on the plane," she reassured him, able to laugh at the experience now that it was over. He'd laughed with her, relieved to see her happy and relaxed again, if only a little bit._

The mental movie stopped there. She couldn't make it repeat. And she didn't want to watch what came next. The flight. The visit. The death scene. And she didn't want to think about her own death scene that might be playing out right now. This time, instead of a memory being on a loop in her head, it was her attempts to avoid the memories that filled her mind.

It was still a vicious loop.

And it was a loop that was once again broken by the rattle of sliding gravel on her cave's doorstep.

* * *

"This mission is cancelled," Jasper said flatly.

THAT got an emotional response from Alice. She flipped out of Carlisle's arms and landed on her feet on the deck of the boat. "NO!" she shouted, backing it up with a fairly big dose of fear for Jasper's benefit.

"Jasper…" Carlisle began.

"No, Carlisle," Jasper said, his voice hard. "We're clearly under attack here. Whatever that woman…did…we don't know WHAT it was, we don't know if we're in for more – for the love of God, Alice didn't even SEE that coming. And you want me to leave? Leave you one fighter short? Are you out of your mind?" He was shouting now, not caring what kind of attention he attracted.

"Keep your voice down, dude," Emmett hissed, and lightening quick reached out and slapped Jasper on the back of his head. Jasper glared at him, but said nothing.

"No, Jasper. You HAVE to go get Bella. If you don't go, she's going to die," Alice cried, her fear not abating.

Jasper looked at her, and then looked away. Her plea, which at one time would have had him in the water and on the smugglers boat in a split second, had very little affect on him. It was painful. He WANTED to want to do anything she asked.

On the other hand, it was also freeing in a way. It left him free to make decisions on a more logical level. And, logically, it was clearly more important that he stay here and protect his family. Not that he didn't care for Bella. He did. Bella was their sister; she was family. But, really, he barely knew the girl. He hadn't interacted with her very much at all when she was human, thanks to Edward keeping her away from him like he carried the plague. Which, he supposed, he did. Sort of. And the few months after she'd been changed, she and Edward had all but spent locked in their room, or off alone in the forest around the house, before their doomed trip to Italy. So, while there was some sense of her being family, it really paled in comparison to the ties he had with the rest of the family, or even his tie of a personal nature - though now seemingly severed - to Alice. He was staying.

Alice was still shaking her head and whispering, "No."

"Carlisle," Jasper said, whispering now, shooting a glance at Emmett that said 'happy now?' "Surely, you can see the importance of me staying here. I can't, in good conscience, leave you all unprotected..."

"We're hardly unprotected, brother," Emmett interrupted, insulted. Rosalie hissed softly in agreement. "And the Denalis are right here. We're not defenseless."

Jasper continued to ignore him, looking only at Carlisle.

Carlisle was clearly torn.

"Carlisle, Bella isn't going anywhere. She'll still be there in a week or two. Just 'til we find out what is going on here." He was almost pleading now. Jasper was military, literally born for it. He was a leader, a strategist. But that also worked against him in the present situation, and he knew it. No matter what he thought, or what his opinion was, he knew he would bow to Carlisle's decision. He'd acknowledged Carlisle as coven leader years - no - decades ago. He would obey any decision that Carlisle made.

"No," Alice said again, her eyes glazing over and just as quickly, unglazing. "You have to go now, Jazz. Bella IS in danger. Right now, with you not going, I see us mourning her. You've GOT to go!!"

Jasper's dead heart hurt with her plea, even though the tie that bound them seemed to be gone. Alice was clinging to Esme now, hiding her face in her 'mother's' shoulder. Esme watched Jasper and Carlisle - they ALL watched Jasper and Carlisle, waiting to see what their 'father' would decide.

"Alice, are you SURE?" Carlisle asked.

"Yes," she whispered softly.

Jasper snorted in disbelief. "Are you sure those visions of yours are working right? Because you sure as hell didn't see that woman just now, and look how much damage SHE did!" He was starting to feel anger -anger at the situation and anger at his family. Couldn't they tell they were in danger? An unknown danger? All heads turned to him in shock. Jasper would have NEVER spoken to Alice in that tone of voice. He suddenly realized that they DIDN'T know they were in danger. How could they? As far as they could tell, nothing had happened. As far as they could see, he and Alice were…having a lover's spat of some sort. But now it was sinking in to the rest of them that something was wrong - something more than they realized.

_Good_, thought Jasper. They NEEDED to understand.

"Well, excuse the hell out me!" Alice snapped back. Emmett's mouth dropped in further shock, and the rest of them turned to look at her. It was, Jasper thought, like looking at a crowd watching a ping pong match in slow motion. "I would have thought that after 60 years, YOU - more than ANYONE - would have understood that my visions are not infallible! Besides, I DID see her!"

"Oh, great," Jasper sneered, his anger starting to find a target that was close. "And you didn't bother to share that with the class?"

"Share WHAT, Jasper? Share WHAT? That I saw you talking with a strange vampire? That she left? That nobody APPEARED hurt?"

"APPEARED being the operative word here!" Both their voices were starting to rise again. "And I would have thought that you would have mentioned seeing ANYONE on this boat!"

"I didn't know the vision was ON this boat until we came down the ladder, and then it was a little bit too late! What else can I do, Jasper? Huh? What else do you want to know? Do you want me to tell you EVERY LITTLE THING I SEE? OOH…Jasper is swimming. Jasper sees a fish. Jasper eats a deer. Jasper walks down the road. Jasper sees a bird…I have to FILTER, Jasper. FILTER, FILTER, FILTER. BELIEVE ME, I'm at LEAST as upset about this as you are!"

Now the family was feeling distinctly puzzled. They had no clue why Jasper and Alice were behaving this way, and Jasper was too far gone in his shock and anger to explain it to them. If he even COULD explain it. All he really knew was that he'd lost his mate. Somehow. Somehow, Alice was no longer his. And it scared him. He HAD to make them understand how bad this was…

"Well, THAT makes me feel better about the whole thing!" he shouted back at her.

"QUIET," Carlisle shouted. They both shut up and turned to him. "Listen…" he said, in a more normal voice.

They all heard the sound of the boat motor starting a few docks over.

Jasper made eye contact with Alice. His anger fizzled out as she stared at him, silently pleading. He looked at the rest of his family, all of whom had the same look in their eyes. They didn't understand what was happening between him and Alice. But they DID understand that 'Operation Rescue Bella' looked about to be cancelled. At HIS insistence. His apparently irrational insistence. For no good reason, as far as they could tell. He groaned in frustration. He looked out toward the sound of the boat warming up. Then he looked back at Carlisle, silently pleading with his leader.

"Jasper," Carlisle said softly. "I don't understand what just happened here, but we can figure it out. Eleazar and I will figure it out." Jasper nodded slowly, acknowledging Carlisle's reminder that they were NOT alone in Alaska. "But Alice's vision…I don't want to lose another child…" He was pleading with the younger man now.

Jasper dropped his eyes. "Yes," he said softly. "Alright." He looked up, staring hard at Carlisle. "But Alice stays here." A sound of protest came from Alice, but Jasper held his hand up to stop her. "No. The family needs you here, Alice. You AND your visions. And apparently…" Jasper choked on what he was saying, "apparently, there is no longer a need for you to accompany me. Stay here, Alice, and help protect our family. I'll go get Bella."

He waited for Carlisle's approval. The older vampire slowly nodded. He didn't understand Jasper's reasoning, but he trusted his decision - especially when there was no protest from Alice.

Alice, for her part, looked considerably happier. Jasper cocked an eyebrow at her in silent question. "I see her now, Jasper," she said quietly, smiling at him. "I see her running on the tundra."

"And me?" he asked, just as quietly. "Do you see me? Do I find her?"

Alice closed her eyes, and Jasper saw her smile falter slightly before reappearing. "Yes," she whispered. Even more quietly, "I see you together."

Jasper nodded in acceptance, wondering why Alice seemed saddened with her statement. "Alright. I'm going." He turned to the rest of his family. He hugged Rosalie quickly, and Esme a bit longer. He shook Emmett's hand, and turned to Carlisle who drew him into a hug. "Be careful," his 'father' whispered.

Last of all, he turned to Alice. They both took a hesitant step towards each other. Jasper grasped her gently by her shoulders and leaned over to kiss her forehead. "Be safe," he whispered. "Please."

She nodded, her body shaking with tears she would never be able to shed. "You, too."

"I…" he hesitated, then continued, realizing the words were still true, even if not in the same way they had been half an hour before, "I love you."

"I love you, too," she said softly.

"I will watch over her, Jasper," Carlisle said quietly, putting his arms around Alice and pulling her into a close hug.

Part of Jasper wanted to scream at him, "Like you watched over Edward and Bella?", but he knew that wouldn't be fair. Not at all. Not one bit. Carlisle would always and forever blame himself for what happened in Italy - whatever it was that happened in Italy. And he suddenly realized he DID have to bring Bella back - for all of them, not just Alice.

Jasper nodded again to the rest of his family, then dove over the side of the boat into the water.


	4. Chapter 4

Still don't own Twilight, the characters, SM's world, etc. DO still own my Beta, JaspersDestiny, but am owing her more and more...

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far. It means a lot to me.

Chapter 4

Bella stood on the ledge of her cave again, this time in sunlight, and she stared out across the strange landscape, trying to deal with the thoughts and feelings racing through her. She'd had no idea...never had she imagined, no matter how often Edward and her siblings had told her. It was incredible. It was better than incredible. She looked down at the body that lay drained on the ground before her, and nudged it with her bare foot. It flopped over, for a moment appearing like it still might have a bit of life in it. She leaned closer and sniffed deeply, then shook her head in disappointment. Nope. All gone. Drunk dry. It was like a drug. Edward had told her she was HIS drug. Now she knew what he meant. This...this was a drug. And she wanted more.

But, like any drug, she had to come down off the high eventually. And, unfortunately, that happened fairly quickly. She came down off her high, and the guilt set in. She wondered briefly if OTHER vampires ever had any guilt. Or was it just Carlisle's family? Well, at any rate, she was guilty. And hungry. The burn in her throat that had seemed dormant - so easy to ignore for so long - was now screaming for her attention.

She inhaled deeply. Surely this man, whoever he was, hadn't been alone. She'd never been much for hiking when she was a human, as far as she could remember. But it seemed to her that such people always went in groups. Or pairs. And this place looked dangerous for a hiker on his own. She couldn't detect the scent of another human on the air, though. She told herself she was just trying to be safe, to avoid killing again. But deep down she knew part of her was looking to feed again. She looked at the body again. Hmmm...it seemed prudent to take care of it. A hiker who might have friends - that might trigger a search... She had to "do the dishes", as Emmett had always said. She squatted to inspect the body closer. In spite of the fact that she'd never fed on a human, and that it had been what seemed like an eternity since her last meal, she'd done a fairly neat job. Not messy at all. Edward would be proud...

Her mind shied away from that thought. Edward would NOT be proud. Disappointed, but understanding. Not proud. Well, maybe she wouldn't tell him. She'd just not mention her little slip. No, that wouldn't work. Her eyes would give her away. She sighed. She'd just have to accept the disappointment. They'd all "slipped up" at some point – well, most of them. Surely they would forgive her her one mistake. If she could find them, that is.

She shook her head. Don't think about it, don't think about it... Do the dishes, do the dishes.

Instead, she stood up and looked out over the landscape again. She'd never really liked doing the dishes, in any format. Now that she had fed – a gourmet meal, in her vampire world – she actually took in and processed what she was seeing. Where in the hell was she? Nothing looked familiar. Those mountains, there, to the north – single, snow-covered, conical. Volcanoes, for sure. One of them even had smoke coming from it. Great. An active volcano. She looked up the slope at her back. Was her mountain a volcano, too? She looked down the slope, where a strangely bright blue lake was. That would be her luck – living in a cave in a volcano. And then it would erupt, and then she would die.

Oddly enough, she no longer wanted to die. She couldn't figure out what had changed. An hour ago, blowing up with a volcano would have been welcome. Now, all she wanted...

What did she want? She couldn't remember. She'd wanted something...

Ah, yes. All she wanted now was to go home. She wanted her family. She wanted Edward. Okay, then - don't analyze it, just go with it. It was probably the sudden infusion of human blood into her system, she decided. It jump started it, or something. She couldn't even remember now why she'd let herself get so badly off to begin with. What had she been thinking?

Well, no matter. She was awake now. So, volcanoes. The one - the biggest one - reminded her of Mt. Hood, outside of Portland. She'd been impressed with its beauty when she and Alice had gone shopping down in Portland, back when she was human. Obviously, this wasn't Mt. Hood, and she wasn't in Oregon. But it reminded her of it. She thought for a while, examining the sweeping landscape spread out before her. She couldn't, from where she was, see any trees. That may or may not mean anything...but, even in the mountains around Washington you could see trees. She'd never been ANYWHERE where there weren't trees. Well, maybe around Phoenix. But that was in a desert. So, she was very high up – or very far north or south. It seemed like night barely existed, too, thinking about the light coming into her cave over the last few days while she'd been more aware. That would make sense...far north, or far south, in the summer. Okay. Volcanoes...Alaska, maybe? There were volcanoes in Alaska – not close to where they lived, but there were some...maybe she wasn't so far from home, after all. Maybe she had just gotten lost...

The idea that she had gotten lost triggered another one of those slippery, almost-memories that skittered away. Okay. Alaska. Maybe. Bella once again examined the hiker and the equipment he wore, looking for clues - all done without actually touching him, of course. Looking down at what she could see of her own appearance, she decided to also look and see if he had any spare clothing she could take. She couldn't very well take the clothes he was wearing – THAT would look suspicious if he was found. She didn't want to bury him, either. Wild animals didn't bury their food. To be perfectly honest, she just really didn't want to touch him again. She settled for kicking him off her ledge, after removing shorts and a t-shirt from the backpack, watching the body bounce off the rocks as it skittered down the mountainside. There. He could easily have fallen. And hopefully some scavengers would do some work on him down there... Dishes done. What to do now? She pondered her options. Damn. She hadn't checked for a wallet or a phone, or anything else useful from the backpack, aside from clothes. What kind of a vampire was she? Clearly one that was not thinking straight. Looking down the slope, she weighed her options. Even with vampire abilities, the trip down and back did not look inviting. Not worth it. Not worth seeing the face of her guilt staring back at her. Alright then, she decided, she'd just run until she came upon civilization, and see about getting herself back home. Running was good. She liked to run – she remembered that. Her family - they'd be looking for her, worried sick. How long had she been lost? Edward must be going out of his mind. Okay. Well. Hmmm. How to get out of here?

Glancing back and forth along the rock face that held her cave, she decided going left - to the west - was out of the question. It was just a sheer cliff face. To the right - the east - was a sort-of ledge. It had to have been the way she got in. So, east it was. She went carefully along the path, but still faster than a human would have dared. It wasn't too long before she was off the cliff that housed her cave, and scrambling at vampire speed across the scree towards a ridge. The day, which had started out sunny, was becoming quickly overcast and stormy-looking. Memories of lectures from her human father – Charlie, she thought his name had been - about some of the dangers of hiking re-surfaced, including a stern warning to never be above tree level during a storm, for fear of getting struck by lightning. She was pretty sure that warning would apply to vampires, too, at least on some level. Would a direct hit cause her to spontaneously burst into flames? It seemed best to avoid that, if possible, so she picked up speed, heading full tilt down the other side of the ridge, trying to get out of the quickly gathering clouds.

Bella ran, and ran, and ran. She had been right in her memory – she DID like to run. It felt good to run. Eventually the ground evened out, and she found herself running along a mountain stream. The low-lying vegetation she'd encountered higher on the mountain was changing into bushes and shrubs. She wondered how long the hiker's blood would sustain her. She thought probably not long – she couldn't remember her last meal, but she knew it had been a while, and she felt weak, in spite of the infusion of Grade A O-positive. Or negative. Or whatever it had been. So, she needed to hunt. Surely, when she came down off the slopes she'd encounter something worth eating. With that thought in mind, she slowed her running and started to test the air. It had started to rain - hard - which made the whole process more difficult. Finally, she sighed and gave up.

The burn in her throat was getting worse. She'd learned to ignore it while sitting in her cave, but now that she'd given in - given it something to drink - it was difficult to go back to ignoring it. The blood hadn't lasted so long, after all - just long enough to shake her out of her weird stupor and get her off the mountainside, which, all things considered, was all she had really needed it to do. She finally decided it might be prudent to wait out the rain somewhere and then hunt as soon as it stopped, rather than waste her energy continuing on. She quickly found an overhang along the stream and ducked inside out of the weather. The cold didn't affect her - but really, even as a vampire, she didn't care to stand about in the rain.

It was night before the rain tapered off enough to where she thought she'd be able to pick up scents again, and then she headed out. Sure enough, within the hour she had picked up the faint trace of something familiar. Unfortunately, as it became stronger, she realized it was the scent of a bear. There was no way she felt up to wrestling with a bear. She'd keep moving and see what was behind door number two.

The stream left its narrow valley and spread out as it entered a larger valley. The entire valley was lit up by moonlight, coming from an almost-full moon. To her relief, there was a larger herd of some sort of herbivores, standing so still they must be sleeping, spread out across the area. She slowed to a stop, testing the wind. Her luck seemed to be picking up, as the slight breeze was blowing away from them, masking her scent. She went down into a hunting crouch and approached them carefully. In no time at all, she had taken down an outlying cow and drained it dry. AND managed to not draw the attention of the main herd. AND not destroyed her ill-fitting outfit in the process. Now THIS was something Edward would be proud of. She examined her kill a bit, trying to decide exactly what it was that she had just eaten. It tasted a little bit like an elk, or perhaps the caribou she'd been introduced to after the Cullens moved to Alaska. Shrugging, she gave up on it, and ran down a second one and quickly drained it, too. This, unfortunately, did not go unnoticed by the rest of the herd, which took off in a panicked run into the night. No matter. She was feeling good now, and she could take more as she traveled. She took off running down river again, leaving the carcasses behind. Bella knew Esme would have a fit if she knew Bella had left her mess behind like that, but...oh, well. She was in a hurry to get home.

* * *

Jasper strode out of the surf and up onto the beach. The full moon illuminated the landscape around him, but he could tell the area was deserted, so he didn't worry about being seen. Turning around, he could just make out the lights on the ship that sat at anchor offshore. Based on what he'd overheard on deck, he had several hours before his next ride was expected - plenty of time to hunt, and hopefully to make a phone call home. He'd seen the blinking lights of several towers on the hills that rose up from the ocean, and surely one of them would give him the signal he needed to phone home.

But first, he needed to hunt. The burn in his throat was almost unbearable, and if he didn't do something quick, it wouldn't be rats that he'd be drinking when he got back on the ship.

After topping the first hills that rose up from the sand dunes, he almost immediately caught the scent of herbivores. Within minutes, he'd found the sleeping herd of what he thought were reindeer, and taken down two. The burn in his throat considerably lessened, he took off for the top of the nearest hill. When he got there, he pulled the phone out of his bag and removed it from its water-proof casing. He caught himself doing a very Emmett-like fist pump when he found that he had a signal.

As if the action conjured his brother into reality, it was Emmett who picked up the phone on its first ring.

"Jasper, my man!" his brother's jovial voice echoed through the silence.

"Jesus, Emmett, you don't have to yell," Jasper said sharply, exasperated. "It's a good connection."

"Sorry," Emmett said, not sounding very sorry at all. In fact, he sounded downright exuberant.

"What the hell are you in such a good mood for?" Jasper asked.

"The sound of your voice, brother. What else? Well, that and the fact that Alice saw you calling, and you did."

"And this is cause to celebrate, why?"

"Well, you know...she's still pretty shaken up about what happened on the dock, and, you know, the whole 'having trouble seeing Bella clearly' thing...thinking she let us all down, and that sort of shit. She thinks her powers are failing – she'll be glad to know she got something right. So...how are YOU holding up? How was the trip? Did you eat any pirates?"

Jasper swore that Emmett sounded almost eager to hear that he had, indeed, eaten a pirate. And ALICE was upset about what had happened on the dock? He'd just spent the last week hiding in the stinking hold of a rusting freighter contemplating his newly single status. And why was he talking to Emmett? When Carlisle had told him he could man the phone, Jasper hadn't taken him to mean it seriously. His brother was too happy by far for someone who was, in Jasper's opinion, in a battle situation.

"Hate to disappoint you, Emmett, but all pirates are present and accounted for. And so are the four-legged rats. Look, as much as I'd like to gossip with you, can you put Carlisle on?"

"No can do, brother," Emmett said, still cheerful. "He and Esme are out hunting with Alice."

"I thought you said she saw this phone call coming in?" Now Jasper was really aggravated.

"Indeed, she did. She saw you calling, and me talking, and Rosie listening and rolling her eyes at us."

Jasper took a deep breath. Evidently he had no choice but to deal with Emmett. He doubted the big man was going to surrender the phone to Rosalie.

"Alright. Look, I'm here at the Commander Islands. Our friends who I joined on the freighter are waiting for their ride to the mainland, which should be arriving in the next few hours. I came ashore to feed and to call you. It was a hell of a trip." It wouldn't hurt to satisfy Emmett's curiosity, and he knew the rest of the conversation would go easier if he did. "Pirates stink, Emmett. Even I didn't want to eat one. They stink, and this group spent the whole time pretty pissed off about how cold they were. I guess they usually hang out in warmer waters. Before you ask - no, I don't know what they're all doing, exactly. And I don't care. They're merely a means to an end." He didn't mention that he'd spent the whole trip crouched in the dark, trying to locate the lost tie to his mate. Unsuccessfully. Even now, he was upset that he couldn't talk to Carlisle. He felt no more upset at his lack of conversation with Alice than he did about not being able to talk to Esme, or Rose. Maybe even less.

"So, Emmett, tell me – has Carlisle had any success finding out what the hell happened on the dock?"

There was silence for a moment. Finally, Emmett spoke again, sounding considerably less enthusiastic than he had before. "Um, actually, yeah...Carlisle called the Denalis after you left, and they came right down... He told Eleazar what happened, and Alice drew a picture of the woman... Eleazar recognized her from his days in the guard..."

Jasper cursed loudly. He knew it. It had been an attack - a bizarre attack, but an attack nonetheless. What the hell could the Volturi hope to gain by breaking him and Alice up?

He said as much to Emmett. "Well, they've come up with a theory about that..." Emmett cleared his throat, and Jasper wondered why the hell a vampire would need to clear their throat. Clearly, they'd all more than perfected their human act through the years. "This chick's name is Chelsea." Emmett continued, "And her, um, 'talent' is, well, she can influence people's ties with each other..."

Jasper's military mind immediately saw the usefulness of such a talent. But still, why had she shown up out of the blue to him and Alice? Unless the Volturi were just set on doing as much destruction as possible to the Cullens, which might be the case. Carlisle had worried for years that the size of their family would bring trouble down on them eventually. He'd agreed with Carlisle's theory that divide and conquer would no doubt be the method of the destruction. "Why Alice and me?" he asked aloud.

"Jasper," Emmett said quietly. "Look, Alice told us... We're all so sorry..."

"Enough, Emmett," Jasper said. "Don't say anything."

"Sorry man," Emmett whispered.

"Yes, well, just answer my question," Jasper said shortly.

"Well, Eleazar had a couple of thoughts. He said maybe she was actually trying to break your bonds to the family...you know, so Alice would be willing to join the Volturi. Or maybe you – they'd like you, too, Eleazar said. Carlisle said Aro really wants Alice – almost more than he wants...well, wanted Edward. Eleazar also said that Chelsea used to not be so powerful, you know, to actually break a bond as powerful as mates. He didn't know that was possible. But, then he said that sometimes powers can get more powerful over time. Carlisle seems to think that destruction of any kind was her goal, and it just happened to be you two that she touched."

"Lucky us," Jasper snorted. Okay, random destruction, he could buy that. But why now? Had something triggered these attacks? Or was it a continuation of Edward's death and Bella's disappearance - moving along a timeline of people who had nothing BUT time?

"Yeah, Eleazar said that she doesn't HAVE to have physical contact to work, and that we're probably lucky that any of us are still speaking to each other."

"Emmett, I'm still speaking to Alice. It's just...it's like wanting to talk to Rosalie. She's still my sister."

"Yeah," Emmett grunted. "Eleazar said something about that, too. About how our ties to each other are stronger than most groups, and they're so complicated and intertwined that she might have had a problem breaking through them all – that maybe she went for the most obvious one available in the room at the time, the one connecting you two together as mates..."

It made sense. Jasper looked out over the black ocean, the moonlight lighting a trail across the dark water. Out of the corner of his eye he saw moving lights on the water. "Look, Emmett," he said, cutting off whatever Emmett was going to say next, "I think I see my ride coming. I'll call again as soon as I can, alright?"

"Sure. Good luck, Jasper."

"Thank, Emmett." Jasper hung up the phone and repacked it in his bag. He checked the progress of the second set of lights moving out on the water. He should be able to make it back to the ship with plenty of time to spare. He froze as the wind swung around and came in from the west.

It carried a vile stench on it - one that he did not recognize, but it screamed 'danger' to him. He spun around to scan the inland landscape, but saw nothing moving in the moonlight. Well, he was leaving, anyway. Whatever it was would have to remain a mystery. He turned back to the water and started running. All the way back to the water, he was unable to shake the feeling that he was being watched, and it made his skin crawl.


	5. Chapter 5

I own none of the characters from Twilight; SM owns them all.

Chapter 5

Bella smelled the ocean, and then heard it, long before she broke out of the trees and saw it. She stood in shocked stillness, watching the waves crash against the rocky shore. She really wasn't expecting an ocean. She squinted, trying to see across it. Maybe it was just a bay? She'd been so sure she would hit a road, or a town, or some other sign of humanity, if she just ran far enough east. But if this was the ocean – and it most definitely was – then she was not in Alaska.

She stood in silence throughout the day, trying to formulate some sort of plan. She remained in the trees, a multitude of voices in her memory telling her to stay out of the sunlight. She had been so sure... She could feel the pull, tugging inside her, pulling her eastward, pulling her towards the water. She knew that pull. It was the pull she always felt when Edward wasn't by her side. She HAD to cross the water. She had to get to him.

Bella began pacing along the tree line, growling in frustration. She could swim. She knew this. Edward had told her. They swam well, not needing air. But she never had, not in the ocean - nothing bigger than lakes and streams. Carlisle had crossed the English Channel - she remembered that story. And Edward had told her stories of him and his brothers swimming long distances, racing through the seas... She could do this. Just walk into the surf, and start swimming. Follow the pull.

She started to walk out onto the beach when a thought occurred to her. If SHE could feel the pull, couldn't Edward? He'd told her he could. He'd told her it was because they were mates that such strong ties pulled them to each other. If that were true, why hadn't he come to HER? She'd been in the cave for a long time, she was fairly sure of that. Why hadn't the pull brought him to her?

A memory flashed through her head. Howling in pain, she grabbed her head and dropped to the gravel in despair.

"_We're sorry, sir," the uniformed security agent said, inspecting Carlisle's boarding pass. "Can you step aside for a moment?"_

"_Is there a problem, officer?" Carlisle asked pleasantly, not glancing at Edward and Bella who were behind him in line. "Keep moving," he said, at vampire speed, so only they could hear._

_Edward squeezed Bella's hand. "Don't look at him," he hissed to her. "Keep walking."_

"_Perhaps," the agent said, his voice equally as pleasant, "if you could just come with us." Another guard had appeared at the side of the first one._

"_Go on, Edward," __Carlisle thought. __"I don't know what this is about, but go on without me. I'll catch up to you, one way or another."_

"_I don't like this, Carlisle," Edward said. "We should wait for you." The line shuffled slowly forward, a few curious people watching Carlisle being led away by two guards._

"_No. Just go on. It will be fine. The Volturi know when we're arriving – they don't like to be kept waiting once plans are finalized. Aro barely understands how airplanes work – he's hardly going to understand the joys of modern safety measures."_

_Edward nodded reluctantly, handing his pass and Bella's to the boarding agent. Bella moaned in worry, low enough that no one but Edward could hear her. He squeezed her hand again in reassurance and led her onto the plane._

On the rocky beach, Bella howled louder.

"_Surely, you'll reconsider my offer, dear boy?" Aro asked, red eyes glinting at them in the dim light of the great hall. The film that had covered them the last time seemed to be gone. "Here I thought for sure, when you'd arrived without Carlisle, just you and the lovely Isabella, that you had changed your mind..."_

"_I'm sure," Edward said. He glanced at the other two brothers, still seated on their chairs on the raised dais, and Bella's eyes followed his. Marcus, as always, looked sad and bored. Caius looked angry. Bella thought their expressions were exactly the same as she remembered them from her previous visit. She knew vampires, in theory, didn't change, but those two seemed to take that to an extreme. Beside her, Edward suddenly stiffened. Bella tensed and turned to see what had upset him. He stared at Marcus for a moment, then his eyes met Caius'. Caius stared back at him, eyes narrowed in anger. Then he looked back to Aro, who was watching the whole thing thoughtfully._

"_Quite sure," he repeated, more firmly. "Now, if you'll excuse us, we're supposed to meet Carlisle at the airport, so we can all return home together."_

"_Of course," Aro said pleasantly, stepping back up on the dais, joining his brothers. "Such a bother, that. You should consider chartering your own flight next time."_

_Edward just nodded, exiting the room and pulling Bella with him, holding tighter to her than ever._

On the beach, Bella's howls had turned to a high pitched keening, her fist pounding the gravel into dust.

"_Hurry," Edward hissed at her as they exited the castle. "We need to get out of here."_

"_What happened back there?" Bella asked as they hurried down the street toward their hotel._

"_I... Not here. Not now. Later," he whispered. "Once we're safely away."_

"_We're in danger?" she asked, starting to pick up on his fear._ _He nodded in response. They'd reached the street their hotel was on when he abruptly pulled her into the shadow of an alley, cursing under his breath._

"_What is it?"_

"_There are two vampires waiting in our rooms – I can hear them," he explained, and before she could ask, __"and another two in the car park."_

"_What?" she squeaked, truly frightened now. "What do they want?"_

"_Nothing good," he said grimly._

"_But...Alice said this would be a safe trip!"_

"_Clearly, something changed," he said._

On the beach, Bella's keening came to an abrupt halt. Edward was dead. She remembered. He was dead. Whatever was pulling her eastward, it wasn't Edward. Edward was gone.

* * *

"Alice? Alice?" Emmett called, looking at his sister who had fallen silent on the couch next to him. He quickly turned the movie off that they'd been watching and turned to look at her. Her eyes were unfocused. "Esme! Carlisle!" he called, jumping off the couch and running for the door. His parents came in from the back porch where they'd been talking quietly, and Rosalie flew down the steps from where she'd been reading in their upstairs bedroom.

"She's seeing something?" Rosalie asked needlessly, whispering so as not to disturb Alice. She glared at her husband, a silent reprimand for his shouting for their attention a moment ago.

Emmett shrugged at her and turned back to watch Alice's tiny frame. It was moments before her eyes focused on them again, but she remained silent, a frightened look on her face.

They, too, remained silent, waiting for her to speak first. Emmett nudged the paper and pencils on the table in front of her, but she shook her head. They weren't needed. Not this time.

"We're going to have visitors," she whispered hoarsely. "The Volturi. They're sending someone here. To see us. Openly."

Carlisle quickly joined Alice on the couch and grabbed both her of hands in his, trying to rub calming circles on the backs of them with his thumbs. Esme sat down on Alice's other side and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Can you see who, sweetheart?" Carlisle asked softly. "Or what precipitated this decision to come now? Is it tied to Chelsea's visit?"

Alice shook her head. "I can't tell why they're coming," she paused a moment before continuing, "It's Demetri. And Jane." Esme's quick intake of breath matched Carlisle's.

"Not a social visit, then..." Carlisle murmured, worry lacing his voice. "None of the brothers, though?"

Alice shook her head. "No. And..." she hesitated, "I don't think Aro is behind this visit. I don't see him at all. Not at all. Only Marcus. Marcus talking to Demetri. Demetri talking to Jane. A flight to Anchorage. Then...nothing."

"Nothing?" Emmett asked. "What does that mean? You don't see us? Are we DEAD!?"

"Don't get excited," Alice said sharply. "I see nothing after that because WE haven't made any decisions yet. And Emmett, we're ALREADY dead."

"A visit..." Carlisle said thoughtfully. "That Aro doesn't know about? But, that isn't possible...he would know as soon as he touched Marcus... A visit then - not planned with Aro, but one that Marcus is not afraid to take responsibility for. Perhaps not so bad after all. But still, Marcus? He does nothing but sit and brood. I have never known him to take an interest in anything, let alone dispatch guard members..." he trailed off. "Alright. What if we all stay here, Alice, and let them come here?"

Alice went silent again, her eyes unfocusing briefly, then coming back into focus. "Not good," she said sourly. "Things unravel quickly, Demetri goads Emmett into attacking him, Jane drops all of us, and I wake up in Italy. I'd rather not go there right now. Think of something else."

"So they're after you?" Esme asked. "Is that their purpose?"

"I don't think so," Alice said, shaking her head. "I think they would just take advantage of the situation. I'm here, Jasper isn't, we attack, they hand out 'justice'. I'd probably be able to make my way back once it was all straightened out. But...it would still be something we don't need right now. We REALLY don't need ANY of us being anywhere NEAR Aro. It could put a real dent in 'Operation Rescue Bella', assuming they're behind her disappearance. Just thinking about that fills my head with pictures of smoking piles."

"Taking advantage of the situation...that's what they've been doing all along..." Carlisle trailed off. "Okay, you aren't here. You go hunting."

Alice looked again, and once again she grimaced. "Not much better. Demetri has met me already, remember? He can trace me anywhere. I'm separated from you. It's still too good to pass up. He tracks me down, I still end up in Italy..."

"Hmm..." Carlisle said, and thought for a moment. "Alright. Demetri is coming. He's met you, Alice. He's met me. He's never met Emmett, Rosalie, or Esme. First thing we do is get you and Rosalie out of here, Emmett," he said, turning to his son.

"No way, Carlisle," Emmett protested. "I'm not leaving you all here unprotected..."

"I appreciate the thought, Emmett, but so far, in Alice's visions, it doesn't look like WE need protecting – just Alice. We need to think long-term, and long-term, we need to keep you and Rosalie off Demetri's radar screen. You can certainly be absent, without raising suspicion. As long as Aro does not get involved to read our memories. You will be absent, and I will tell them you are away on another honeymoon. A common enough occurrence through the years, and everyone knows it. It should raise no suspicions. Alice?"

Alice was silent for a moment, then nodded, "That should work, as far as it goes. They don't question the story. They don't look for Em and Rose. They don't appear to even care. I, however, still end up in Italy – whether or not I stay here, or run and hide."

"Then I'm not going," Emmett stated firmly. "I'll stay here, and we'll kill them."

"Don't be a fool," Rosalie told him. "We'll all end up ash if you do that – I don't need Alice's power to see that coming."

"Emmett, you will do as I say," Carlisle said at the same time. "We cannot hope to win against Jane, or Demetri. Not with their talents. Alright, Demetri can find you anywhere, Alice, but again, you seem certain that you are NOT the purpose of the visit."

Alice nodded. "That is the way it appears. It's just a feeling I get from what I see...it seems like they only take me because I am here...and Jasper is not..." this last she said in a whisper.

"And they have every reason to suspect that he is gone, since they sent Chelsea here first. They no doubt hope to have you come peacefully, willingly...but they can't know for sure if Chelsea's power worked." Carlisle thought for another moment. "I will go to Anchorage, instead of staying here. I will stay there, at the house there, and I will meet their plane. I will tell them you have all left, in mourning at the loss of Edward and Bella. They will have no reason not to believe me...they will..."

Esme cut him off, "You are not doing that alone. I will be with you."

"That is not a good idea, darling," Carlisle said kindly. "I don't wish Demetri to get a whiff of you, too. You will go with Alice and..."

"I will NOT go with Alice," she said firmly. "I will go with you. Alice can go to the Denalis, or they can join her in an extended hunting trip, for her protection. But I will not be separated from you."

A ripple of discomfort ran through the group, and eyes averted from Alice. The thought of being separated from one's mate, in a time of danger, was unthinkable, and here was Alice, bereft of her mate, and in imminent danger. A danger, according to her, that any move on their part to protect her from it only made it worse.

Carlisle sighed. "Alright. Esme is with me. What now, Alice?"

Alice faded away again, then after a moment, she smiled hesitantly. "I think that might work, Carlisle!" she said brightly. "If you are in Anchorage without us...I see you meeting their plane. You're telling them I called you and told you they were coming. You tell them we are all away from the family for a while. They believe you. They stay...they hunt..." she frowned in disgust at the quick images in her head, "...they go home. They talk to Marcus. Then - nothing ."

"Again with the nothing!' Emmett said, frustrated.

Alice shrugged. "There are too many variables by that point. It's possible that Jasper and Bella will even be back..."

"By the time the visit occurs?" Esme asked eagerly.

"No." Alice shook her head. "But, by the time they leave...maybe..." she shook her head. "I still can't really see anything from Jasper. I don't know...I think it's still because Bella is running mostly on instinct, and he, in turn, will be forced to merely respond to her."

"Alright," Carlisle said. "That is what we will do. I'll call Eleazar and tell him you're coming, Alice. Once you get there, plan on going...away...with some of them. Don't tell us where, though. All of you, don't call for...what, a week?" He looked at Alice and she shook her head. "Okay, don't call us at all. Call Eleazar in a week. I'll leave messages with him. Esme and I will leave tonight for Anchorage and get the house there opened up. Emmett, you and Rose be out of here by morning. You, too, Alice."

They all nodded, nobody happy with the plan, but none of them willing to go against Alice's visions.

* * *

It took Carlisle and Esme almost a day to get to the house in Anchorage. Eleazar called them and gave them the flight information that Alice had finally seen, but he did not offer up any information concerning her whereabouts. Esme was frantic, separated from all her children and unable to contact any of them. Carlisle, too, had a sick feeling of dread in his gut. One child gone, two missing for all intents and purposes, and the remaining three totally out of touch. It would be a miracle if they were able to appear normal in front of their company.

The cabin they were staying in was a small one, owned by the family and used infrequently for romantic getaways by the various couples over the years. It was only two bedrooms, one barely qualifying for the name, reinforcing the story that they were alone for the present, alone in mourning for the loss of their children...should Demetri and Jane even show an interest in coming there with them.

Esme accompanied Carlisle to the airport, refusing at any time to be separated from his side. They waited for the passengers to disembark, hoping that Alice's vision had not changed, and that the vampires would, indeed, still be on this flight. Sure enough, they appeared, first off the plane – none of the humans willing to cut in front of them, no doubt, Carlisle thought with sour humor. The fact that they arrived on a commercial flight instead of a private charter from Italy seemed a bit odd to Carlisle, but he didn't know what to make of it.

Demetri immediately caught their scent and turned to them, the small woman-child Jane following him.

"Carlisle," the huge male vampire said quietly, nodding his head in acknowledgement.

"Demetri," Carlisle nodded shortly in return.

"You were expecting us?" Demetri asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Alice called," Carlisle explained. While the verbal exchange was going on, he noticed the two women eyeing each other with distaste.

"She is not with you, then?" Demetri asked, looking behind them into the concourse full of its milling humans.

"She is not," Carlisle said. "She and her mate, and my other children, are not here. They have gone off..." he hesitated a moment before continuing "...gone off to mourn on their own..."

"Mourn?" Jane asked, a sneer in her childlike voice.

"Mourn," Esme said firmly, glaring at the smaller female. "The loss of their siblings affected them deeply. They needed time alone with their mates to recover."

"Ah, yes," Demetri nodded. "My condolences, belated as they are, on the loss of Edward and Bella. Were you ever able to find out what happened to them?"

"No. Why are you here?" Carlisle asked bluntly.

Demetri glanced around them, taking in the curious looks they were garnering from the humans, especially now that the body language was becoming tense.

"Perhaps there is somewhere we can go...?" Demetri asked. "This is not, I am thinking, the best place to discuss matters of a personal nature."

Carlisle nodded. "You are correct. But, perhaps introductions are in order first."

"Of course," Demetri said smoothly. "I am remiss in my manners."

"This is my wife, Esme," Carlisle said, indicating Esme, whose smile was decidedly strained. "Esme, this is Demetri and Jane."

"Ah, Esme...Carlisle's mate," Demetri said, reaching out to take her hand. "We've heard much about the beauty of Carlisle's mate." Esme ignored his hand, refusing to offer her own, and he dropped it.

"My wife," Carlisle said again.

Demetri nodded. "Your wife," he agreed.

"A quaint human affectation," Jane sneered.

Carlisle shrugged. "To you, perhaps." He smiled quietly at his wife, and she smiled back. "Well, then, since this is, indeed, not the place for this, shall we go?"

"To your place?" Demetri suggested.

Carlisle nodded shortly. There was no avoiding it, really, so he didn't waste time trying. "That would be fine. Would you like to ride with us, or get a car?"

"We'll rent a car and follow you," the man said. "That will allow us to move more freely. We will need to eat before returning home, and I would not wish to impose on your hospitality for assistance in that area."

"Very considerate," Carlisle nodded. "We'll wait for you by the exit."

"I'll join you," Jane said.

There followed an uncomfortable silence. Carlisle decided there was no reason to make small talk with the sadistic little vampire who continued to stare at him and Esme, and Jane clearly agreed. So, they stood in an odd little group, in the shadows of the airport exit, Carlisle and Esme attempting to shift and fidget enough for all of them in order to not draw attention to themselves. Ironically enough, the representative from the Volturi made no such attempts. The hypocrisy of it just added to Carlisle's aggravation with the situation.

Demetri finally got the car taken care of and joined them. Carlisle led them to the Mercedes where they all managed to squeeze in, and drove the visitors to the car rental area. After picking up their car, Demetri and Jane followed Carlisle and Esme back onto the road, exiting the airport and merging onto the highway, heading north through Anchorage.

"I have the strongest urge to lose them in traffic," Carlisle muttered to his wife, ignoring the near impossibility of doing so, especially in the light Anchorage traffic.

She laughed. "Useless, but I have to agree with you. Just drive, sweetheart."

Within a half hour they were pulling into the drive of the cabin. The Italian visitors exited their car, Jane looking around in disgust, and Demetri obviously curious.

"It's rather small, isn't it?" he asked. "Aren't you a bit crowded here?"

"As I said before," Carlisle reminded him, "it is just Esme and myself at the moment."

"Yes, you did say that." Demetri looked around before following them through the front door, and he did not bother to hide his obvious tasting of the air. He would find no scents here other than that of Carlisle and Esme. Nobody else had used the house in almost two decades, although it had been rented out to humans several times during that period – helping to hide any lingering scents the skilled tracker might be able to pick up. He preferred to operate on a mental signature for best results, but a physical scent could always be used. From the disappointment that flickered quickly across his face, he was picking up nothing of interest.

Once inside, they arranged themselves on the furniture and stared at each other for a few moments. Carlisle finally spoke first, not feeling the need to play power games with the unwelcome visitors.

"So, tell us why you have come half way around the world. Surely, Aro could just call and say 'hello', if that was his purpose."

"It is not Aro's purpose that brings us here," Jane snapped, and Carlisle hid a smile at the aggravated look Demetri shot her. It was as Alice had suggested, then.

Demetri turned to Carlisle. "Aro did not...send us," he reiterated Jane's statement. "Marcus sent us."

Carlisle cocked an eyebrow at him and waited for him to continue.

Demetri sighed. "Marcus fears that the recent...loss...of two members of your coven while they were visiting Volterra, may have caused some...problems...here..." he trailed off, clearly uncomfortable under Carlisle's stare.

Carlisle continued to stare at him, not speaking. The large Italian vampire was no doubt more physically powerful than him, but Carlisle was older and a force to be recognized within the vampire world.

"Is Marcus questioning my...loyalty?" he finally asked quietly.

"No! Not at all!" Demetri reassured him.

"Really? I find that difficult to believe, considering your travel companion," Carlisle said, glancing at Jane for a moment. The Volturi sent no one without a reason.

Demetri shrugged. "We had no way of knowing if we'd receive a hostile welcome."

"Hmmm..." Carlisle said. "Well, clearly we are not very hostile. What would you like to know?"

"Where is your coven?" Jane asked bluntly.

"Well, Edward is in an urn there on the mantle," Esme said, speaking for the first time, her voice an angry hiss. "We were so fortunate to have at least that much of him returned to us from his visit to Italy. Bella, as you know, was never found. Rosalie and Emmett are hunting in Canada, as are Alice and Jasper. We have no idea of their exact location."

"Really?" Jane clearly did not believe this.

"Really," Esme said firmly. "They needed to be apart in their mourning. We do not feel the need to trace their every movement. We are a family, not a coven. Carlisle is their father, not their Master."

"Hmm..." Jane said.

"Is there something else we can help you with while you're here?" Carlisle asked. "I still find it hard to believe you flew all this way for this. Marcus never struck me as the type to send personal condolences. Perhaps the centuries have changed him, though ..."

Demetri actually chuckled at this. "He's not. And believe it or not, Carlisle, you are not the only reason we are here. You may or may not realize that you are not alone in this area, but you have a neighbor that has caused a bit of a problem for us."

"Surely the Denali sisters have not..." Esme began, worry spiking her features. Alice had said nothing about another problem – although, since it did not involve them, she might not have seen it.

"No, not the succubi. In spite of their activities, they do not concern us. No, I am here on the trail of an escaped criminal, if you will. That is the main reason for our visit. Marcus just wanted us to check on your family while we were here."

"Hmm. Well, be sure to tell Marcus we appreciate his concern," Carlisle said, standing. Taking it as a signal that the visit was at an end, the others stood, too.

The visitors filed out the door and got in their rented sedan and drove off.

"That was VERY strange," Esme said.

"Yes, it was," Carlisle agreed.

"Do you believe them?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Not really. Well, I believe that they are here for more reasons than just us. But..." he hesitated, "I find it hard to believe that Alice's visions had such a...negative ending when we were all together, and when it was us alone, this was all that happened."

"They weren't here looking for us, were they?" Esme whispered.

Carlisle shook his head. "No, I don't believe they were."

"The other children..."

Carlisle nodded. "I believe so. The Volturi have always been interested in us, you know that, Esme. Perhaps now, with the loss of Edward, they will begin to feel strong enough to begin taking a more aggressive approach against us."

"You don't think Edward's loss was a random accident, do you?"

He shook his head slowly, sadly. "No, I do not."

"What do we do now?"

"We wait."

* * *

A/N: OK, before anybody points out that vampires can't be knocked unconscious, when Alice refers to "waking up in Italy", it is a figure of speech. She does not mean it literally!


	6. Chapter 6

A present for you on this Tuesday, which is cold and miserable where I am. Hope you enjoy! I do not own these characters. Love and kisses to JaspersDestiny, my wonderful Beta.

Chapter 6

Alice's visions could only take her so far. She would be the first to admit this, if anybody asked, but nobody ever did. Well, Edward had, but he was gone. The rest of her family - even Jasper - took them far too close to heart. They were all too willing to listen to her and base their decisions on what she saw. Or on what she said she saw. It had been impossible to lie about them, of course, when Edward had been...with them. She still refused to admit he was gone forever. It was difficult, but not impossible, to lie when Jasper was around. But, now...nobody to call her on a lie. Nobody to question what she said. 'Never bet against Alice' was the family motto, it seemed, and one they all too willingly stuck with.

She snorted. It was blind trust like that which allowed her to betray them. Not that she was actually betraying her family. She hadn't lied about what she'd told them – she just hadn't told them EVERYTHING she'd seen. A sin of omission, really, which was why she was in this god-awful little hamlet northeast of Anchorage, hanging out in a little diner that served bad coffee and worse food. Not that either mattered to her, but still. It was disgusting. And very reminiscent of when she had first found Jasper.

She savored the irony of it. It had a 'coming-full-circle' sort of feel to it. Once again, her vision had led her to wait in a diner. Too bad it wasn't for a lover this time. She'd seen Demetri coming through the doors with Jane in tow. Them talking. Jane glaring. The two foreigners getting up and leaving. Alice leaving and returning to her family. End of vision. No death, no destruction, nothing. Much better than anything she'd seen if the family had chosen to stay together for this meeting. Tensions were just running too high right now. Anything involving all of them ended in more destruction for the Cullens. Of course, there was no way to tell exactly WHAT would transpire at this meeting, or what would be said. Perhaps...perhaps they were bringing bad news of some sort?

Damn it all. Whatever it was, she wished they'd hurry up. Just because she couldn't drink the coffee sitting in front of her, it didn't mean she wanted to even BE in such a...dirty... place.

No matter. She straightened up as she saw a dark sedan with darkened windows pull up into the parking lot. The two she'd been waiting for exited the car and entered the diner, not even bothering to look around at the room, instead making a straight line for her table.

"Demetri," she said, nodding to the large man. "Jane," she said politely.

"Oracle," Demetri said by way of greeting. Alice cringed internally. She hated being called that.

"Have you been waiting for us, Alice?" Jane asked, laughter in her voice. Not a very pleasant laughter, either, Alice thought. Much like the rest of her. The waitress came over to take their orders, but a glare and a wave of Demetri's hand sent her scurrying back behind the counter, where she studiously ignored the strange threesome at booth number 6.

"Of course," Alice said coolly, refusing to engage the annoying child-like vampire - annoying, and very dangerous, she reminded herself. And probably more than a little unstable, to boot. Steeling herself for the coming conversation, she turned to Demetri. "What is it that you want, Demetri?"

"A moment of your time," he said smoothly.

"Uh huh," she said, doubt filling her voice.

"We do not lie, Oracle," Jane said. "A moment of your time, only. Please indulge us."

Demetri pulled something out of his pocket, laying a wrinkled sheet of paper on the table in front of Alice. She looked down and saw it was a photo of a strange man, clearly a vampire - thin build, black hair, dressed in some sort of uniform. She looked back up at Demetri, waiting for him to speak.

"Do you recognize this man?" he asked.

She looked again. "No. Should I?"

"Not necessarily," he said. "But we'd hoped...we know he is in the area, here in Anchorage. We thought perhaps you had run across him since you are also here in the area."

Well, she could hardly tell him that she'd only been in the area two days. "You can't find him yourself? I thought you were some sort of super tracker – after all, you found me here," she said, instead.

Demetri shook his head. "I have never met him..."

"Where is your mate?" Jane interrupted suddenly. "Carlisle said you were together."

Alice looked at her for a moment, then turned back to Demetri. "Forgive me for thinking it would be better to see you alone. Jasper chose not to make your...acquaintance," she said directly to Demetri.

The large man smiled. Alice reflected that it was actually a nice smile, all things considered. A sincere smile. "Understandable. Many feel the same way. He let you come alone, though? I find that hard to believe."

Alice shrugged. "I saw everything would be fine," she said. "There was no need for him to come with me, and he was more comfortable remaining anonymous. The soldier in him showing, I'm afraid. I could apologize for his rudeness...but I won't."

"No offense taken. Tell me..." Demetri paused, seemingly not interested in Jasper's absence, "can you see anything about a person based on a picture, or must you know them?" He tapped the picture on the table.

Alice looked at him in disbelief. "You came all this way for a psychic consult?" she asked, her voice rising.

"Would you have come to Volterra if we had asked?" Demetri said.

Alice cocked her head for a moment. "Good point," she said. "What makes you think I'll cooperate any better with you here in Alaska, though?" She narrowed her eyes at him.

Demetri smiled again. "And why would you not? We understand a certain reluctance on the part of Carlisle's family to travel to Italy..." Alice couldn't contain the snort that escaped her, which Demetri ignored. "But, surely there is no reason for you not to help us out, now that we have come to you..."

Alice sighed. She could think of many reasons. Hundreds. Probably thousands if she made some real effort. But why bother? Carlisle had no desire to formally cut ties with the Volturi. Not yet. Not without proof that they had been behind Edward's death and Bella's disappearance. Doing so would be tantamount to a declaration of war. Their own family was still vulnerable to the reigning coven. There were many reasons to not cooperate, but none of them were worth endangering what remained of the Cullens. "Of course. You must realize emotions are still running...high."

"Understood," Demetri nodded. "Please, try?"

Alice looked at the picture again. Her sight didn't work this way, not even close. She'd never seen this man before; she knew nothing about him; she had no ties to him. And, she'd be damned if she asked for more information. Well, she could at least try. She stared at the picture and then let her eyes unfocus as she searched that other place, the place in her head where pictures ran like movie reels gone crazy. A place that she was sometimes able to control, to a certain extent, but that often enough broke loose and controlled her.

Pictures, scenes, still-lifes, and movie clips flashed by like lightening. It was like YouTube gone crazy in her brain. She saw many things, many things that were more interesting that she wished she could latch onto - if only it worked like that. Flashes of her family; of Jasper and of Bella; of Aro, Marcus, Caius, and Jane's twin, Alec. Of the two in front of her getting on a small plane on the tarmac in Anchorage and taking off into the night – she particularly liked that one – but none of the man in the picture. Wait...none of _him_, but another of the two in front of her... A warehouse. Entering a warehouse in Anchorage – she recognized the skyline in the background. A half-burnt sign on top of the warehouse read '...Stone Company'.

Her eyes snapped open and she held out her hand. "Pencil," she demanded.

"What?" Jane asked, confused.

"Pencil, pencil. I need a pencil if you want to see what I saw," Alice demanded sharply. "It won't stick around in my head forever." Well, it would, but that was beside the point.

Demetri quickly withdrew a pen from his inside coat pocket and handed it to her. She flipped the paper with the picture over and quickly began sketching - the skyline, the building, the partially burnt sign.

"This is where he is?" Demetri asked eagerly, studying her drawing.

Alice shrugged. "THAT I can't tell you. But I saw you two going into here. It was night. I don't know WHERE in Anchorage it is, but this was the downtown skyline in the background."

"Hmph," Jane snorted. "That's not very helpful. Can't you do better?"

"No," Alice said bluntly.

"It's fine," Demetri said, taking the paper back and putting it in his pocket. "It's more than we had before. Now, here is another one..." he pulled another sheet of paper out of his coat.

"Do I really look like the psychic hotline?" Alice asked in disbelief. "Can you at least deposit another quarter first?"

Demetri just stared at her. She sighed and rolled her eyes again. "I hope you don't have bottomless pockets there because I sure as hell don't have bottomless patience for this." But she took the sheet, in spite of this, and looked at it. It was the picture of a mutilated corpse. Or what looked like a mutilated corpse. She looked at it closer in disgust. Maybe not so mutilated. It appeared to be only partially human - part human and part...animal. She was reminded briefly of the shapeshifters in La Push, but it was not the same. This...thing...whatever it was...was human in size. The shapeshifters had been HUGE - big in their human forms, but much bigger once they'd morphed into wolves. This picture made her shudder in both disgust and in fear.

"What IS it?" she asked, looking up at Demetri.

He studied her in silence for a moment and then answered quietly, "A Child of the Moon. It is a werewolf, killed mid-change."

Alice looked at it again. "A real werewolf?" she asked quietly. "I thought they were...extinct."

"Not extinct," he said, leaning in towards her. "Not extinct at all. And, perhaps, not as rare as we'd like them to be. Tell me, psychic, can you see it at all?"

"It's DEAD," Alice pointed out. "I can't see the dead."

"Not THIS one," Demetri said patiently, as if explaining something to a half-wit. "Can you see ANY of them?"

Alice hesitated. She knew the probable answer to this. She most likely could not. If she couldn't see the shapeshifters, chances were she couldn't see these creatures, either. But she could hardly explain this to these two – they'd kept the existence of the shapeshifters under wraps and safe from Aro and company so far, and she didn't want to be the one to change that. Bella's thoughts had been safe from Aro on Bella and Edward's visit, and Carlisle had thought that perhaps her shield had extended at least partially onto Edward. Not that it had mattered in the end. She also had no desire to go into any detail on how her gift did and did not work. She sighed, looked at the picture again, and then closed her eyes.

For some reason it was Jasper she saw again. Jasper running through mountains, running through forests. Jasper with Bella – oh, good, Alice thought briefly, he would find her. Endless forest and endless tundra stretching out into the horizon.

She opened her eyes and shook her head. "I see nothing of this thing, or others like it. Nothing but...forests. And tundra.

Instead of looking disappointed, Demetri nodded thoughtfully. "Makes sense," he said.

"It does?" she asked, hoping he'd enlighten her. Jane hissed in warning, but Demetri shrugged. "She's been nothing but cooperative, Jane. The Cullens deserve to know."

Jane seemed to disagree with this, but Demetri ignored her further hissing. Brave of him, Alice thought, considering the sadistic bitch's predilection for tossing out pain.

"We have reason to believe there has recently been a resurgence in the werewolf population," Demetri explained. "They were thought to be almost extinct, thanks to Caius'...dedicated campaigns." Alice nodded. Carlisle had explained this to them once, when explaining the difference between the shapeshifters of La Push and true werewolves. "But we've had strange reports coming out of Siberia, and this one was killed just last month in Moscow."

Alice froze. "Siberia?" she whispered in horror. That was where Jasper and Bella were.

Jane's sharp eyes stared at her. "Something wrong, Alice? That seems to worry you a little bit..."

Nothing was lost on _that_ little bitch, Alice thought. _Pull yourself together, woman_, she told herself sharply. "Well, it IS getting a little close to home," she said sharply. "If they can swim..."

"I don't know if they swim," Demetri said. "But they can certainly get on a boat. They are, after all, human in appearance for most of the month. It is only during a full moon that they are truly dangerous to us. But don't underestimate them the rest of the month. They can certainly be killed, but they are tricky, hard to find, and can still do damage of sorts to us, even in human form. In their wolf form, they are almost as deadly as we are. Our only natural enemy. A fact you'd do well to remember, especially choosing to live this far north. You are right to be frightened. Consider your family warned..." Demetri stood. "A confirmation of sorts, I'd say, your vision has been." He nodded to himself. "Our thanks. We'll leave you now, return to Anchorage, and check this warehouse," he patted the pocket with the picture and her drawing, "and return home. You keep that picture – show Carlisle."

"You didn't tell him?" Alice asked, surprised.

Demetri showed no surprise that Alice knew of his visit with Carlisle. "My business here was with you," Demetri said. "Not him."

"And if I hadn't cooperated?" Alice asked.

"You tell me," he said, grinning. Alice rolled her eyes. He stood and, without a goodbye, headed for the exit. Alice remained seated.

"Alice," Jane said, nodding slightly. Alice nodded back, but said nothing. Jane followed Demetri out the door.


	7. Chapter 7

I don't own any of these characters; SM owns them all!

Chapter 7

Jasper exited the surf at a full-out run, crossing the beach and entering the tree line so quickly that even if there had been humans around to see it, they would have only seen a blur of movement, easily written off to imagination, especially at this time of night.

Once there, he crouched down and began to evaluate his surroundings, the military officer in him taking over. He detected no signs of humans with any of his senses – even his sixth one, which outdid the rest, especially distance-wise. The only sense of any emotions at all came from a distant grouping of animals, which, considering the closeness and numbers of the content, sleeping, hungry forms, were no doubt a herd of herbivores. He stored the general direction of them for hunting reference, once he'd finished his recognizance. He tested the air for scents, recent and lingering, and found nothing human in the air at all. Humans had not been here in the area where he'd come ashore for a long, long time. Good. That made his job so much easier.

Finding himself to be relatively safe, he relaxed a bit – without actually dropping his guard completely – and removed the waterproof pack from his back. Carefully, he removed the various small electronics from their pouches and set them on the ground. The cell phone, of course, showed no signal whatsoever – not that he'd expected anything different. He turned if off again quickly after re-checking, just to be sure. He also squashed back feelings of disappointment. It would have been nice to have been able to tell someone "I made it", but there was no signal and wasting the battery was foolish. He had a variety of chargers in the pack, sent along with the hope that one of them would be compatible with the power sources that might become available here on foreign soil. There was a solar charger, too, but that would require stopping to let the phone charge, when he could be traveling...

Although, Emmett HAD suggested he mount the charger to his head and allow it to do its work while he ran.

Jasper shook his head at the memory of his brother's not-so-helpful advice, and turned to the one piece of equipment that he DID need to consult before he headed off into the interior of the peninsula. The GPS. They had not known Bella's exact location, but they had been able to ascertain a general area, based on Alice's visions. Therefore, they'd programmed those coordinates into the little machine now resting in his palms. It wouldn't lead him to her directly, but it would get him close enough to be able to pick up her scent - in theory, anyway.

In Jasper's experience, theory went out the window almost as soon as it was formed, but it was all they had to go with right now. And his experience was another reason, he told himself, that it was him here, right now, and not Emmett. It had a hell of a lot more to do with it than speaking the right language.

The little blinking light told him that he'd come ashore fairly close to his target, approximately 200 miles northeast of where he needed to be. Not bad at all. He could have made it there in a few hours, over normal terrain. Of course, he was not dealing with normal terrain, he was dealing with mountains. And that changed things. His best bet, he decided, was to run along the shore for as long as the darkness lasted – which wouldn't be much longer at these latitudes – and then cut into the tree line and continue until he was almost due east of his target, and at that point head up into the mountains. He consulted the terrain maps of the region he had, protected in their waterproof coating, and saw that there were several waterways coming down to meet the ocean in the area he was heading to. He should be able to follow one of those westward, avoiding the necessity of cutting across mountainous ridges – an act which was not only time-consuming, but screamed 'exposure'. He also briefly considered stripping out of the ridiculous wet suit. He despised the thing, although he had to admit it had more than adequately served its purpose. And, being what he was, it was not uncomfortable. But he felt ridiculous. He hated to think of himself as fashion-conscious, although living with Alice for more than five decades had no doubt worn off on him. He wasn't concerned with his looks - and the suit wasn't uncomfortable - but he hated wearing it. There it was.

However, considering that at this moment the alternative was to have his bare sparkling ass running down the beach, he decided to keep the suit on until something better presented itself. Even if he was running too fast for human eyes to see, that was just wrong.

And so it was, within three minutes of exiting the surf, Jasper was packed up and running down the beach to the south at full speed. He'd considered eating before running, but then abandoned that in favor of covering the most distance possible in the remaining darkness. In this deserted land, there would be plenty of hunting opportunities, even though the thought tickled at the back of his mind briefly before he pushed it away...humans. It would, after all, be a while before he saw his family again...and Bella would be in no condition to care, or place blame, if Alice's vision was correct. But, no, he wouldn't do that. He wouldn't slip up.

Much to his satisfaction, sunrise saw him far enough south that he could begin looking for a watercourse to take him up west into the mountains. During the course of his run, he'd crossed several faint signs of humans, but none recent. He had also crossed several signs of herbivores, and more interestingly, bears. This place would be perfect for his family to come hunting, and he'd begun toying with the idea of buying a boat with Emmett and coming over here on hunting excursions. He'd start looking into the possibilities as soon as he got back with Bella in tow. How hard could it be for them to sneak into the country in this remote area? It couldn't be too difficult - the smuggler's he'd arrived with were idiots. If THEY could do it, he and Em should be able to pull it off easily enough. He wondered if the girls would want to join them, then decided not. Roughing it wasn't really their style. Maybe Carlisle would...certainly Edward would have enjoyed the challenge.

He abruptly hauled in that line of thought. Edward. He would never hunt with his brother again. Sadness washed over him, and he pushed it back resolutely. He could not afford to deal with that now.

The rising sun caused him to retreat into the tree line, and he slowed to a halt. He'd been lucky all night not to run into any humans. The peninsula was sparsely populated at these latitudes, but not, according to their brief research, totally empty. He needed to hunt now before he continued any further. He sat down in the underbrush and closed his eyes. Someone who didn't know better might think he was sleeping. Or meditating. Meditating was probably closer to the truth. He reached out once more, as he'd done a few hours before, to see who or what was in the area.

To the south, there were, indeed, humans - faint, but definitely there. Too far, still, for him to pick up their scent. But the emotions were there. A village, or small town. Maybe he'd find he had a signal for his phone there. Or maybe he'd find more suitable clothing. It was worth the possibility of waiting another 16 hours for the sun to descend again. Until then, though... He sent out feelers again, inland, to the west.

Ah, there it was...just a few miles to the west. Another herd of the herbivores, their feel similar to those he'd detected throughout the night. A smaller grouping this time. He'd hoped to find a bear nearby – they weren't a favorite, not like they were for Emmett, but he'd prefer them to whatever was waiting for him to the west. No such luck, though. With a sigh, he stood up and headed west. No sense putting it off. He needed to feed - and now - especially if he intended to venture closer to the humans tonight.

Three herbivores later – he thought they might be reindeer, but he wasn't sure about that – he lay down in a small clearing in the woods, the sun high enough in the sky now to warm his dead body. He enjoyed basking in the sun after a full meal, the heat on his skin a pleasant addition to the warmth within that lingered from the blood. He rarely got to do it at home with his family because of their choices in living locations and the need for absolute secrecy wherever they were. It was, he decided, one of his guilty pleasures - one he could indulge in here, where he was only visiting and would never see this place, or these people, again. Almost like Vegas was for humans.

That thought made him chuckle. He'd have to pass it on to Em when he talked to him. Emmett would get a kick out of that idea. Or maybe he'd save it for when he saw him in person – make it part of his sales pitch for sneaking back into the country. Bears galore and nude sunbathing. What more could a vegetarian vampire ask for? Well, women, he supposed. No woman for him, though, not any more. He'd have to convince Emmett to come without Rosalie tagging along – no way he wanted to be the third wheel with them.

But first he had to retrieve Bella. Focus, Jasper, he scolded himself. Find Bella, get her home, then plan a return trip with his brother.

Soaking in the sun made the time go by surprisingly fast. When it disappeared behind the trees on its downhill slope for the day, he felt guilty for what would be construed by anyone in his family – including himself – as wasting time. He quickly checked his phone – still no service – and checked the GPS. He was almost due east of his target area. Putting them both away, he headed through the trees in a southerly direction, intending to scope out the human habitation.

The village was larger than he expected. From a hillside to the north of it he was able to take it all in. A rough road came into it from the northwest, and continued out of it heading almost due south. It had a small airstrip along the river to the west. There were even a few buildings that were two and three stories tall, but these had a military feel to them, and they looked to be either abandoned or nearly so. All in all, it had the look and feel of a town that had never been quite prosperous, and was now slowly sinking back into the wilderness around it. To his relief, though, it DID have a cell tower.

Pulling out the phone again, he mentally crossed his fingers that it and the tower would be compatible. If not, he'd have to steal a phone from down below in the town and see if that worked. He hated to do that, though, unless it was necessary. With a groan, he saw that he had no signal. Damn. Now, why did it work out on the island with THAT tower, but not here? Same country, same technology...maybe this tower wasn't actually up and working. Now THAT was a possibility, especially taking into account the rundown nature of the town surrounding it. Well, he'd just have to look for a phone at the same time he was stealing pants and a shirt.

Retreating back into the trees, he slipped into the stillness that only a vampire could achieve and waited for the sun to slip down past the horizon. As soon as it did, and he decided it was dark enough for him, he slipped at vampire speed down the hillside and into the buildings. There would be little or no pretending to be human on this trip for Jasper. A waste of time, he'd already decided. It all went back to the whole Vegas scenario. He'd never see these people again, and didn't care what they saw or thought. Not that he intended to walk sparkling down Main Street – even he wasn't willing to go that far or tempt the Volturi – but he was not here to fit in. If necessary, he'd knock someone over the head in an alley and steal their clothes.

Luckily it didn't come to that. Almost immediately upon entering town, he found himself in a residential area, and the third house he came to was empty, its occupants either at work or in town at a bar. Entering quickly through the back, Jasper discovered that his luck was holding. Whoever lived here was male and close enough to his size that the clothing fit. He quickly slipped out of the wet suit – now a little the worse for wear from his activities that day – and into the clothes. They may have been fairly clean looking, but they still reeked of their human owner – the whole house reeked, for that matter – and Jasper wrinkled his nose in distaste. He chose a pair of military-style looking pants and a dark sweatshirt. The shoes did not fit, but he'd just go without. That was no hardship. He kept the waterproof backpack that held the phone and other gear, but wore it under the sweatshirt. The shirt was big enough on him, and the pack small enough, that it didn't look too odd. Not that he cared. A further search of the house did not reveal a left-behind cell phone or a computer, so he grabbed up his wet suit and left the same way he'd come. He didn't feel like keeping the suit with him, but neither did he want to leave it around to be found. He'd bury it somewhere in the woods nearby when he left.

But first, he wanted a phone. Even in this god-forsaken backwater town, somebody had to have a cell phone. Keeping to the shadows, he went further into town until he came to an area where there were lights and music coming out of the buildings. He would not chance going inside one of the bars – the town, while not too small, was still small enough that a stranger would stand out, especially one in bare feet. Instead, he waited in the shadows of an alley down the street. The hour got later, and he wondered if the bars here ever closed. He had heard that drinking was a problem in Russia, but surely someone would have to go home SOMETIME in preparation for the coming work day.

Eventually, people started wandering out of the buildings and heading down the streets. The first few came by in groups, drunk and singing. Eventually, however, a single man walked by, paused, and then entered the alley Jasper was hiding in. Jasper wondered what in the world the man was doing – was he so drunk that he was confused about where he was going? This was entirely too easy. Ah. The man had stopped to urinate. Jasper tried to channel his inner human, and gave the man a couple of moments to finish his business and zip his pants up before knocking him on the back of the head. He rifled through his pockets, finding a small amount of money, which he pocketed for himself – he had to keep the charade of mugging the man in-character – and he was more than a little happy to find what appeared to be a cell phone of unknown make in the man's front pocket. Jasper quickly pocketed it and proceeded to scale the building behind him, coming to rest on the roof-top of the three-story building, effectively concealing himself behind some structural forms he found there.

He opened the phone and found it had a standard keypad that he recognized, even if the numbers were Cyrillic. And it seemed to be picking up the signal just fine. He quickly dialed.

"Hello," Rosalie's voice, set on sultry, answered. "Welcome. You have reached the Immortal Fantasy Hotline. Please make your selection from our following choices, and remember, Immortal Bliss is only a phone call away."

Jasper groaned. He could easily picture Emmett having a hey-day setting this whole thing up. The man couldn't be serious, even when they were in trouble. He was NEVER going to let Jasper forget that he got to go save Bella, and that he, Emmett, had to stay home and man the phone lines.

"If you're looking for a Psychic Lover, please press '1'."

Psychic lover. Huh. That sounded like the choice for him. Obviously, Alice was handling their...situation...just fine. Jasper hit '1'.

"We're sorry. The Psychic Lover can't answer the phone right now," came Alice's voice. Well, no shit. His psychic lover was pretty much gone for good out of his life.

"Well, why the hell not?" Jasper muttered. "You're a psychic, babe, couldn't you see this phone call coming in?" Obviously not.

"Please leave a message for us, and we'll try to hook up later!" Alice's voice continued. "We're sorry for the inconvenience!" Alice's cheery voice told him.

Jasper sighed. "Hey, Psychic Lover," he said. "Sorry I couldn't talk to you in person. I hope everything is alright there in Fantasy Land. I arrived in town safe and sound, but had trouble getting my phone to work, so I borrowed a friend's. I'm pretty close to my vacation destination, just about 150 miles to go. Looks like some pretty fun hiking and climbing opportunities ahead for me, and the dining opportunities abound. However, I don't see much opportunity in the near future to call again. So...I guess I'll catch you on the flip side. Please, be safe. All of you."

He closed the phone and sat for a moment. He really, really wanted to wait here in the darkness and try calling again. And again. And again. Until one of them answered. But he knew that was foolish. He only had two or three hours of semi-darkness left, and he needed to make use of it. Get Bella. Go Home. Get Bella. Go home.

It became his mantra as he ran westward, crushing and discarding the stolen phone as he left the town behind. He followed the river westward, the chant running through his head. Get Bella. Go Home. Get Bella. Go Home.

Sunrise found him still chanting and running, having left the heavy woodland behind him. It was taking him longer than he thought it would. He came out upon a large river valley, the mountains to the west looming close in front of him. The river spread out into many channels here, the land boggy and hard to run in, even for him. He paused before heading into it, going over his options. Before coming to a decision, he caught a scent coming from the north of his present location. Bear. Well, that decided it for him. He was hungry, and it was too hard to pass up. North it was, then.

He slogged across boggy ground and the occasional channel of open water, drawing closer to the tempting smell. Low-lying brush also impeded his progress. Bear was sounding better and better the closer he came.

Breaking through some underbrush, he caught sight of the animal. It was in the middle of a large branch of the river, fishing. Fishing. Great. Nothing ruined the taste of a bear more than freshly caught fish, a taste Jasper was all-too familiar with, having lived in the Pacific Northwest off and on for most of the last 60 years of his life. Well, fish or no fish, it was still better than an herbivore.

He crouched on the shore, deciding on the best way to go about his hunt. Chase the creature out of the water first, or feed on it right there in the water? A split second later the decision was made for him. The bear looked up and saw him and decided to take exception to the intrusion in its territory. It came lumbering through the shallow, but swift moving, stream at him, roaring its displeasure at his presence.

"In the water, it is," Jasper muttered, and met the bear in its charge half-way. A few moments later, the bear - drained and considerably lighter - was floating downstream. Jasper - considerably fuller and wetter - was climbing out of the water on the north shore. He decided to leave the valley for a while and quickly scrambled up the ridge to the north of the river. From there, he'd hopefully be able to get a better feel for where he was and where he was going. Gadgets were great, but nothing beat a man's own eyesight.

Reaching the top of the ridge, Jasper felt like the whole world spread out below him. He could follow the course of the river he'd been running along all the way back to the ocean, which was glinting in the distance and visible only to his vampire sight. He could even make out the town – not as individual buildings, but just as a difference on the landscape. Turning around, he saw another river valley on the other side of the ridge, smaller than the river he'd been following. Looking to the west, he saw that his river took a sharp turn to the south soon, whereas the smaller river continued almost due west. To the west rose the mountains, including several volcanic peaks. And, right where it should be, the solitary peak from Alice's vision. He stood for a few moments, enjoying the view and the sense of total isolation. The air currents rose up from both valleys and swirled around him, bringing with them the smells of the valleys – life, blood, decaying vegetation, fish, and...Bella.

Jasper froze. Had he imagined it? He inhaled again. Nothing. But he hadn't imagined it. He KNEW he hadn't imagined it. That was Bella's scent - he'd know it anywhere. He'd known it since it had first come from the blood in her veins, known it through her change, known it for a few brief months coming from her hard, immortal body. And now here. Maybe not exactly where Alice's vision had placed her, but certainly in the general vicinity. And it certainly was no surprise that she would have moved; come to consciousness after that first...meal...Alice had seen. He still did not smell it again, and it had only been a faint whiff to begin with...

He was certain it had not come from his valley. He would have noticed it, no matter how faint the trail was. It had to be from the smaller valley, which would make more sense – it looked like it headed straight up to where he'd been planning to go, anyway. He headed down the slope, continuing to search for the scent. There. He caught it again, on a breeze coming up from the valley floor. It was all he needed. He took off at a run for the base of the ridge.


	8. Chapter 8

I had originally thought I might be one of those authors who could cleverly work in an SM quote for each chapter, blah blah blah. But that turned out to be too much work, especially when I figured out most of the quotes that came to mind had actually originated in FF works. So this is it for that great idea!

I do not own these characters, they all belong to SM.

Chapter 8

"Look more closely, Victoria," Edward murmured..."Is he really so much like the monster James tracked across Siberia?"

from "Eclipse", page 548

* * *

Reaching the river that ran through the valley, Jasper tested the air, all his senses wide open. There it was, definite this time - Bella's scent, from across the little river. Once again, he slogged through the water, coming out on the other side.

"Yes," he hissed aloud to himself. Here it was. Her trail. Two trails, he amended, sniffing closer to the ground, feeling almost like a hunting dog. One older than the other; fainter, heading east, down river; the other newer, heading back west. So, she'd gone east. Something had made her turn around, and she'd followed her path back this way. Was that intentional? Was she returning to her cave? Jasper had no way of knowing. In his experience, following one's own scent trail back to a den spoke of a newborn vampire running on instinct. Bella was no newborn, not anymore. But she was no doubt running on instinct. Alice's visions seemed to point to that, definitely. These trails just confirmed it in Jasper's head. He would have to go very carefully, which was another reason he was glad Emmett was not here. His bigger brother would have charged in, heart first, trying to save his little sister. And no doubt gotten an arm or two ripped off for his trouble. No, Jasper would make no assumptions as to the condition of Bella's psyche. He'd go into this assuming he was dealing with a volatile, dangerous creature.

Get Bella. Go Home. No matter how dangerous she was, he was dragging her ass home with him, whether she let him or not.

Something had made her turn back, returning along here. What was it? Was it worth him heading east to investigate? Probably not, he decided. It served no purpose right now, not that he could see. Had she made it all the way to the ocean and turned around? He hadn't come across her scent there, but that didn't really surprise him. He'd kept close to the water on his southward run, and high tides would have wiped away any sign of her trail down to the water. And the breeze always blew inland from the water, carrying any trace of her scent away from the beach.

He turned and headed west, following the newer trail. He couldn't decide how old it was. Tracking had never been his strong point, above and beyond a normal vampire's ability. But, surely, not older than a week. Surely not. At one point he took a quick detour and found the bodies of two reindeer, left from her feeding – on her eastward trip - based on the age of the smell. And based on the age of what little remained of the carcasses, it had been more than a week, but less than two. Well, that was good news. On so many levels. He'd have to be sure to tell Carlisle when he saw him or spoke to him next – she may have drained that hiker, but she seemed to have voluntarily returned to the Cullens' chosen diet. It COULD have just been a case of grabbing whatever was handy – there certainly were no humans around here – but he liked to think she had returned to her right mind enough to have made a conscious choice.

Soon enough, the trail entered a meadow, and Jasper halted. There was a new scent here. A scent that reminded him vaguely of one he'd smelled before, just recently, on the Commander Islands. A scent that had him crouching and growling before he realized what he was doing.

Shaking his head, he slowly stood up again, but did not relax his vigilance. What in the HELL was the odor? It was hideous. Worse than those dogs in La Push had stunk. And it had every vampire instinct he had screaming 'DANGER, Turn BACK'. And Bella had run straight through it...

He followed her scent to the center of the meadow, where it was concentrated. Whatever had happened, she had been here for a little while, going around and around in tight circles. What the hell? The scent of the OTHER was not here, not in the center. She'd been alone here...then continued west again. Jasper slowly followed her path, and found it crossed the other's scent here on the west edge of the meadow. Wrinkling his nose in distaste, he followed the other scent around. Whatever it was, the creature had circled around the meadow. Circled around the meadow. Jasper could envision it in his head, the scene, recreating what might have happened. And not liking it one little bit. Whatever it was, it effectively held Bella here, trapped her in the center of the meadow, spiraling in on her until...well, she obviously got through, got past whatever it was. It had come close enough that she had finally broken and run. And it had chased her, the stench now joining hers on its westward trek.

Jasper continued west along the dual trail, dread now filling him. This was becoming decidedly less easy. He should have known it wouldn't be easy. Nothing was ever easy.

Get Bella. Go Home.

* * *

The trail stuck close to the waterway, which ascended through the hills. He was already above the tree line. He could tell Bella was still following her outbound trail. Was she returning to the cave in Alice's visions? Her 'den'? This was definitely a case where instinct would work against her – she'd be trapped in a cave like that. Dread grew in him as the trail he followed climbed. It had left the waterway now, and was climbing straight up the mountainous slope. What was he going to find at the end of it?

He topped the ridge, now at such a high altitude that there were the icy remains of winter's snowfall remaining in the shadows of boulders. Before him spread out the vista of Alice's visions, including the incredible blue of the lake in the caldera below. Suddenly the trails diverged, Bella's continuing straight along a ledge along the rim of the cauldron, while the stench of the unknown went higher on the slope. Stalking her, instead of attacking? Hmm...was...whatever it was...not sure of a victory against her if it attacked, even if she was cornered? Interesting...

He thought briefly about following the stench, but only briefly. Instead, he stuck with Bella's trail. It only took him a few moments to reach the mouth of her cave. He quickly determined that while she'd re-entered it, she had emerged and continued on west fairly soon after her return. She was still obviously days ahead of him, so he took some time to investigate her...den.

He quickly found the area in the back where she'd obviously sat. And sat for a very long while, based on the concentration of the smell. At the entrance, he found the evidence of the spilled blood of the hiker – faint, but definitely there. And also, more of the stench that had followed her. Same, but...different. And older. Another one of whatever it was. Another one that had found her here, in her den, before she'd left on her journey to the east. Had that been what had prompted her to leave her den in the first place? Hmm...Alice hadn't said anything about seeing something else with Bella – just the hiker.

Looking over the ledge, he could see the remains of the hiker far down the slope. Sloppy disposal, but she at least appeared to have made some sort of an effort. There would be nothing left but clothing and bones before too long, nothing that would say anything to any other human but 'unfortunate fall while hiking'. Good girl. Even if it was based purely on instinct. He thought about going down for a closer look, but then decided against it. Instead, he headed west again, following her trail. Now that he was sure she wasn't waiting for him dead, at least not immediately, he sped up, concentrating on speed and catching up.

He didn't even stop when the stench rejoined him on the trail. Evidently, the thing had observed her at the cave, and then continued on after her when she'd left. Hunting her. Was he, perhaps, waiting for the other one to join him? Safety in numbers?

At the top of the far ridge, a huge inter-range valley spread out in front of him, another range rising to the west. Even from here, with his sight, he could make out towns, roads, and human habitations in the valley. And Bella's trail headed right towards it. Well, this would make things more difficult. Had she bothered hiding? Traveling at night? Or did she just plow straight through it, not a thought of anything else? And where the hell was she going? She was running a straight line to the west. Well, if nothing else, civilization would give him an opportunity to try and contact Carlisle again.

He ran at full speed down the mountains, staying strictly on the trail and ignoring everything, including the sun rising behind him. Nothing but a sparkling flash, that was him. What happened in Vegas, stayed in Vegas. What happened in Kamchatka, stayed in Kamchatka. He didn't slow at all until he reached the valley floor. The trail had stayed in the woods, as soon as the forest had become available to her, which made him happy. Before too long, though, the stench of humans permeated his nose, and he was forced to slow down to avoid running into unknown situations.

Sure enough, he came to a break in the forest, and spread out before him was some sort of human encampment. What the hell were they doing? He hid in the shadows of the tree line, watching, finding himself interested in spite of himself. Her trail led right through the center of the clearing, aiming for the river in front of him, and clearly he couldn't go that way right now. He'd have to skirt the clearing no matter what and pick it up on the other side. He hoped these people hadn't been here when she'd come through. The trail was a bit stronger, he thought, and he thought he might be catching up a little bit.

Were those...fish? The men before him were pulling large fish out of the river - systematically pulling the fish out, slitting them open, and pulling out large masses of something from the insides of the fish. The whole place stunk, effectively masking Bella's trail, even hiding the stench of her other tracker. He sighed and shook his head. Humans were so bizarre.

He began to circle the clearing, staying in the trees and heading for the river, when the sound of large vehicles came to his ears. Suddenly, several gunshots erupted from somewhere to the south, and the camp in front of him erupted into total chaos, men running and shouting, attempting to either get to their vehicles or escape into the woods. What the hell?

Several of them did manage to escape into the woods, but the ones who had tried to make it to their vehicles were trapped by the arrival of several large, military-looking trucks. Armed soldiers poured out, and there was more gunfire. A few more of the men tried to make a run for the woods and were stopped by bullets in their legs. The scent of blood filled the air and caused Jasper's eyes to darken immediately.

Okay, Jasper thought, time to leave. He shot through the woods and made it to the river, actually pushing a couple of the men who'd managed to escape out of his way. They never even saw what shoved them down as he ran by.

It took him a good hour to get far enough away from the scene with the humans to feel comfortable looking for her trail again, and another half hour to actually pick it up again. To his dismay, the original tracker had been joined by the one that had been in the cave with her. So, there were now four of them at this party. At least the numbers were still even – two on two. Assuming Bella could, or would, help him, if it came to that.

Jasper ran through the valley, ignoring the daylight, crossing several roads and skirting more than one town in the process. He ignored the humans completely, having decided that his only responsibility at this point was to get to Bella. If it wasn't too late. He didn't even stop to call Carlisle. He'd call when he got her.

By the time the sun went down for the brief northern summer night, he was heading up into the mountains again. The moon rose at his back, waning now from its fullness a few nights ago – that night he'd been on the island and talked to Emmett, confident that he'd be returning home soon, Bella in tow. That had all changed now. Her trail angled a bit to the northwest. He wondered what was driving her – did she know where she was? Was she trying to get home? Why was she heading west at all, when home was east? Granted, she had headed east - for home - to start with. But she'd turned around. Turned around at the ocean, no doubt. Jasper would have probably done the same thing. She could have crossed the ocean, in theory, but really, who would want to? Especially an inexperienced newborn. Well, sort-of newborn. So, she'd turned around. But, she sure looked like she was going SOMEWHERE with a purpose. If she was just running in panic, she wouldn't be making such a straight line. Even now, he was sure she'd only veered to the northwest to follow the contour of the land. They were once again following a river as it rose up through the hills. And again, he was drawing closer. Had she just not been in a hurry? Was he really that much faster than her? Did she not know she was being hunted?

The latter was an unlikely scenario. She'd run into the creature in that meadow far to the east. Run into it, and run away from it. She had to know she was being followed. Was that why she was running? Because she knew she was being chased? Now THAT made sense. That made total sense.

She WAS being chased. She WAS being hunted. And now, to his dismay, a third scent had joined the trail. She was being chased by a pack of these things, whatever they were. Suddenly, Kamchatka no longer seemed like the ideal Vegetarian Vampire Vacation Destination. Not at all. It didn't seem possible, but Jasper picked up his pace. Suddenly, he was at a pass, high in the mountains, and looking down the other side. More mountains and, in the distance, water. They'd reached the other side of the peninsula. He squinted, trying to see the mainland that he knew was in the distance – with no luck, even with the sun once again rising behind him. Did Bella know it was there?

Down he ran, slipping and sliding on the rocky slope. Get Bella. Go Home. Suddenly, a fourth scent joined them, coming in from the north. Ten miles later, a fifth one came in from the south. Jasper was starting to shake, and venom had begun to pool in his mouth, causing him to actually have to spit it out as he ran.

Not good, man, not good at all, he thought to himself. He stopped running. He was running towards an unknown situation that had the potential to be dangerous. Dangerous and deadly, even for the undead. He didn't know how he knew that, but he did. Every vampire instinct he had was telling him to run away from the scents he was following. He didn't know what they were, but they were dangerous to his kind. Part of him knew this, a part of him he hadn't used in a very long time, the part that worked purely on instinct. The sun was still in the sky, the long northern day not over yet, and he knew he was approaching the ocean. Or, rather, the sea of Okhotsk. Not that that really mattered, one way or the other, under the circumstances. And still, he was days behind Bella when she'd passed this way. What was waiting for him ahead? It couldn't be good, not with what was chasing her clearly in hot pursuit now. He could almost smell the excitement in their scents as more joined in. Ten now - ten distinct smells, all chasing one lone vampire. He needed to hunt, to have more strength for what was to come. He knew this, but he couldn't stop following the track, either. Time was running out. No, time had already run out. In his heart, his unbeating heart, he knew this. But he refused to listen, instead choosing to run again.

Before long, with the sun still high in the sky, he reached the shore. He paced up and down the sand, taking in the smells, and the signs left in the dirt. They'd clearly trapped her here against the water, he was realizing this now. He could see it above the high tide line. She'd been unwilling to enter the Pacific to the east. Had fear allowed her to enter the water to the west? It appeared so – she had run up and down the sand, probably looking for a place to escape to back onto land. But there was no sign that she'd been able to. No scent trail of hers left the beach. Had they taken her here, killed her? Or had she, indeed, finally decided to enter the water? And if so, what had she done then? He only hoped that she'd had the opportunity to get in the water and escape, and that the things hadn't followed her in. They'd closed in on her here, on the sand – that much was clear. But there were no signs of a struggle. But then, with those odds, how much of struggle would it have been? No, he told himself, she'd taken to the water. He knew she had.

They'd never really taken her swimming after her change, he thought wistfully. She'd never had the chance to discover what her new body was capable of in the water. Would she have learned quickly enough, trusting instinct to guide her?

A sudden coughing sound behind him caused him to whip around. In his contemplation of the sea and Bella's hoped-for escape, he'd let his guard down. Foolish. Foolish and stupid. Behind him on the dunes stood a man - or what looked like a man. But it smelled like the things that had tracked Bella.

"Looking for your friend?" the thing asked in English, with a strong Russian accent.

Jasper didn't answer.

"Not talking either, eh? Your friend, she wasn't one for talking either. Never did say two words. At least, while I was still capable of talking to her." He cackled loudly. "She had plenty to say later, but I'm afraid I was in no condition to converse with her then." The man came down the dune towards him, moving slowly. He moved in a cautious manner, rather than a threatening one. But Jasper felt threatened nonetheless. He didn't move back, but dropped into a slight crouch and growled.

"Don't growl at me, Vampire," the man snapped. "You are alone, and I have many friends with me." As he said this, more figures appeared on the dunes behind him. Jasper mentally groaned. He, too, was trapped. All his experience, and he was trapped against the water. The thing smiled. "No smarter than your friend, are you? Caius must be slipping in his old age, sending such amateurs against us. Did you really think you could travel across our land and go undetected?"

Jasper still refused to speak. He had no idea what the creature was talking about, and he had no intention of asking. He did, however, have every intention of entering the waves behind him as soon as possible. He had some slight hope, though, that the talkative creature in front of him might reveal something useful before he did.

And it looked like he was about to be rewarded. The creature looked him up and down carefully, and then looked back to its friends. After a moment, it seemed to come to some sort of decision, and turned back to Jasper. "We let the female go with a message. Actually, we discussed it amongst ourselves first. Most of us wanted to just kill her, and I couldn't blame them. She didn't seem quite right in the head – I didn't even know that was possible - an insane Vampire. Not the best possible choice for a messenger. But Caius sent her to us, so we decided to work with what we were given. But you - you seem to have the light of intelligence in your eyes. Though, they are an odd color – are you sick? You did allow yourself to be trapped. If I'd known you were going to come along, we would have killed her and sent the message with you instead."

Another growl escaped Jasper, louder this time.

The man-thing cocked his head thoughtfully. "Protective of her, are you? Are you even here on Caius' orders? Or are you only after her? Her mate, perhaps? If so, my apologies. She's a lovely creature by your standards, I'm sure. But really, a bit mad, I think. You should not have let her out of your sight to begin with. I doubt she'll ever make it back to Italy in one piece."

"Why would she be going there?" The question escaped his lips before he could stop it.

The thing laughed. "Oh, come now, friend. We are not foolish. It's clear enough to us where she's running to. Maybe not why she was sent here to begin with – no, I admit I have no clue as to why she was sent here. But it was obvious enough in which direction she was running when she left. Or, should I say, swimming."

The things behind him, still on the dunes, laughed at this.

Jasper glanced behind himself at the water, then back to the man-thing.

"Oh, yes. She escaped into the water. Of course, I don't know if you can call it escape, since we LET her go. Just as we'll LET you go. Into the water. Nowhere else. Don't think about coming back here. It is our land, and we will kill you if you step foot on it again. You can tell your master that, too. He may think that he has all but killed us, but he will soon be disabused of that notion. Run! Run after her, and take that message to your master."

The man-things poured down the dunes towards him, and Jasper ran quickly into the waves. One last glance behind him revealed almost twenty of the beings, male and female, standing in the surf, watching after him intently. Then he was swimming, strong strokes taking him quickly into deeper waters, where he shot into the depths like a missile, shedding his clothes, which only dragged him back, until he was naked except for the waterproof sack that held useless spy gear his family had sent him with when this had seemed like nothing more than an exciting game. Finding a scent in the water was impossible, and he concentrated on swimming west as fast as he could, taking the thing's words to heart. Bella had headed west, and he would, too. It was all he COULD do at this point. When he finally made it back to land, he'd pick up her scent there. He would. He had to.

Get Bella. Go home.


	9. Chapter 9

I would like to PROFUSELY thank my beta, JaspersDestiny, for all her hard work. She's been holding my hand quite a bit lately on things-yet-to-come (hehe, double entendre intended!), but I need to start thanking her NOW - early, and often. Words to live by. That being said, I have been quite remiss in forgetting to rec her FIRST STORY! It was a fantastic one shot she wrote for the 'A Picture is Worth a 1000 Words' contest, called "Impasse". I will warn you, if you love Edward and can't stand to see him in the wrong, maybe you shouldn't read it. Or maybe you SHOULD read it! I personally adore the boy, but, well, just go read her story.

As much as I love them, I don't own these characters. SM owns them all, and let me tell you, the woman is making a fortune off them. They should negotiate for free agent status.

Chapter 9

Carlisle paced up and down in front of the couch in the large living room, anger surging through his body in such a wave of rage that he was sure he had not felt in a long time, if ever. Or perhaps, he had just grown used to Jasper's presence over the decades, always there to take the edge off, to dull anything too strong, too overpowering, too dangerous.

No, he was sure he just had never been this angry before. Or this frightened. Not even when he'd been in Italy, searching frantically for Edward and Bella. Taking a deep breath, he stopped in front of the couch and the women seated on it.

"You're telling me you LIED to me? You LIED, then you DELIBERATELY put yourself in danger?" he yelled at the tiny dark-haired woman who sat there, ready to stoically take in whatever he was going to throw at her. "We can't DO it this way, Alice. We are a FAMILY."

"Carlisle," Esme said quietly, a paragraph of reprimand in one word. She scooted closer to Alice on the couch and put her arm around her, hugging her close.

Carlisle closed his eyes and squeezed the bridge of his nose, a habit he had picked up from his oldest son. Even in death, Edward stayed with them. He took a deep, unnecessary breath, and looked around the room. A week after their hasty separation and departure, they were all once again back home. Well, five of them were. There'd been a message from Jasper waiting for them when they'd arrived, saying he'd made it to Kamchatka safely, but nothing else since then. Between the tension from that and Alice's revelations, they were all on edge.

"I will NOT calm down, Esme. Surely you see what they are doing? They would never DARE face us head on – oh, no. But, separate us? Pick us off one by one? THAT they would be more than happy to do. And look at us now! Down to five. And clearly not even safe there – they certainly separated Alice away from us just fine."

"I'm FINE, Carlisle," Alice insisted, for the 20th time.

"You are NOT fine, Alice. You were ATTACKED on that dock, Alice - you and Jasper. Chelsea DID something to you. Just because you're not a pile of ash does not mean you are FINE. I just don't understand what you were THINKING! Or, were you thinking at all?"

Alice looked down. There was no denying that something had been ripped from inside of her. Carlisle was right - just because she wasn't physically damaged, it didn't mean she hadn't been hurt. And she didn't like it. It scared her. She couldn't imagine how Jasper was dealing with it, forced by them to leave to go after Bella, having no time to recover like she had, in the arms of her family.

"It was the only way, Carlisle," she whispered, staring at the floor. "Every other option - EVERY option with us staying together for their visit - ended badly for all of us. I've TOLD you this. You have GOT to trust me!"

"I CAN'T trust you when you lie to me, Alice!" He was back to shouting again. He stopped shouting and looked at her more closely, his eyes narrowing. "But there was more to it than that, wasn't there, Alice? You had another reason for wanting to see them…wanting to see them alone. Didn't you?"

"Carlisle," Esme said again, more sharply this time.

"No, Esme. Ask our daughter why she wanted to see Demetri." Carlisle continued to stare at Alice, and now Esme turned to look at her, worry filling her face. "Alice?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper. "What is Carlisle talking about?"

"I wanted to see..." Alice began, barely loud enough for their vampire hearing to pick up. She looked at the floor, refusing to make eye contact with any of them. "I wanted to see…if it was all gone..."

"If what was all gone?" Esme asked.

Alice glanced up at Carlisle first. His face was hard, and clearly he had no intention of helping her out, though he seemed to have an idea of what she was trying to say. Then she looked at Esme. "I was afraid that Chelsea had taken everything from me - not just Jasper. I wanted to make sure that...that she didn't forge some sort of bond between me and them…something that would show up later, at a bad time for us...I thought if I met them there, alone, I would know, and could...take care of it, before it could cause the family any damage..."

"So," Carlisle cut her off, earning a glare from his wife, "let me get this straight – just so we all understand. You wanted to make sure you didn't have the urge to run off to Italy with them? And what if you did – what were you going to do then?"

"Kill myself," she whispered.

Esme cried out. Carlisle squeezed the bridge of his nose again. "Alice. Did it ever occur to you that the very fact that this worried you at all indicated that your ties to your family had NOT been severed?"

"Umm...no. Not at the time. I know it seems pretty obvious now..."

"Did that woman steal your BRAIN along with your MATE? Do you have any idea what that would have DONE to us?" Carlisle shouted, kicking an empty chair, and sending it flying across the room where it shattered. "Why? WHY?"

They all watched in silence as he raged, shocked at the uncharacteristic violence from their normally soft spoken, voice-of-reason leader. Even Esme seemed hesitant to interfere - to try and stop him - as he continued to destroy furniture. They quickly realized, though, that the breakdown was about more than just what Alice had done. For the first time since he'd come back from Italy, Carlisle was letting go of his emotions. Finally, Emmett stepped up and grabbed his arm, swinging him around to face him.

"Carlisle," he said sharply, sounding very un-Emmett-like. "Enough. This destruction isn't helping. Don't let them do this to you. Don't let them change you, too, without even touching you."

For a moment, the women thought Carlisle would attack his son, and they tensed. But he did not, and they relaxed with him. Esme stood up now and went to his side, pulling him close. He put his arms around her and pulled her close to him, burying his face in her hair. "Our children," he cried into her neck. "They're doing this to our children!"

"Shh…Shh…" she whispered, trying to calm him. He let her lead him back to the couch, and he sat down with her on one side, still holding him. Alice carefully crawled up next to him on his other side, and he pulled her into his lap with his free hand. Emmett and Rosalie joined them on the couch, sitting as close as they could.

Silence fell across the group of vampires, each of them alone with their thoughts.

After an hour, though, Emmett cleared his throat, and they all looked up at him. "What about the vampire in Anchorage?" Emmett finally spoke up. "What was that about, do you think?"

Carlisle sighed and shook his head. "I don't know. Alice, at any time during your conversation did you get the feeling that they were, I don't know, feeling you out? Making any attempt to TRY and lure you away with them?"

Alice shook her head. "Not at all. In fact, I thought it was rather odd that they didn't. I felt like Jane's question about Jasper's whereabouts was an honest one – she expected him to be with me, and was surprised that he wasn't. Demetri never said anything to indicate that he wanted me to accompany them. I really do think they were just after information about that vampire and the werewolves."

"Well, I don't know that there is anything we can do as far as the werewolves are concerned. We'll inform the Denalis, of course, about what you learned. And we'll certainly warn Jasper the next time he calls, although hopefully they'll be home soon enough and we won't have to worry about that. This other thing, with the vampire, well…we CAN look into that, at least, and see if it ties into everything else, or if it was just what they said it was – a piece of business they had to take care of. Which means, it's back to Anchorage in the morning. We aren't separating again, not right now. Understand?" He stared at each one of them in turn, forcing eye contact on them until they dropped their eyes in submission. He stared especially long and hard at Alice.

They all nodded. An angry Carlisle was not someone any of them were willing to go against. Carlisle suggested that they all hunt in the meantime – as a family – to take the edge off their emotions.

The next morning found them all piled into Jasper's Yukon, taking the ferry back to Anchorage. They were no longer walking on eggshells around Carlisle, his temper having quickly cooled the night before once he had hunted sufficiently, but everyone was clearly still uncomfortable. Emmett had not joked the entire trip, and Rosalie sat silently beside him, twirling his curls absently with one hand, while the other held his arm in a death grip - a grip he reciprocated with a hand on her thigh. In the front seat, Esme and Carlisle held hands, refusing to let go of each other. At the start of the trip, Alice had sat hunched against the door, but after a while, Emmett had pulled her to him with his free arm, holding her tight to his side, making it clear to her through his actions that he had no intention of letting her distance herself from the family.

Once they disembarked at the dock, they drove quickly to the warehouse district. It didn't take long for Alice to find the area from her visions, and less time to find the half-burned sign. Of the warehouse from her visions, however, only a burned-out shell remained. Carlisle pulled the car over and they sat staring at it in silence.

It was Sunday, and the area was deserted. It was also, luckily, overcast, so they were able to just park the car and get out. They crossed the street as a group, picking up the faint scents of the two Italian vampires, in addition to a fainter, unfamiliar scent.

"Well," Emmett said, "It looks like they found their man."

"Apparently so," Carlisle agreed. "They are nothing if not thorough. I wonder what he did to anger them? I didn't even know he was here – he couldn't have been here long, or we would have known about him. This is well within the Denalis' territory."

"I wonder what brought him here?" Esme wondered out loud. "I wouldn't think this would be a very attractive place for a vampire." Her family looked at her in surprise. "I mean," she explained quickly, "a vampire who feeds on humans."

"Long winter nights," Rosalie said.

"But a small population. And an even smaller homeless population," Esme countered.

"But plenty of people who wish to remain anonymous," Emmett pointed out. "Plenty of people who wouldn't be missed because nobody knows anything about them."

"Well, it's all academic now." Carlisle sighed. "I would really have liked to have gotten some sort of information about him, though."

Their heads all turned to watch as an old, rusty Ford bronco turned onto the street they were standing on and drove slowly towards them. They backed up onto the sidewalk next to the burned-out warehouse to allow it to pass, but instead it slowed down and pulled over. The driver leaned over and rolled down the window on the passenger side, and Carlisle stepped forward to speak to him. His family smiled as the persona of Dr. Carlisle Cullen, charming physician and vampire, slid firmly into place.

"Can I help you?" he asked the man in the car pleasantly. The man, who looked to be in his fifties or sixties – or perhaps a poorly aged forty-something - it was hard to tell in this part of the country – turned and spat out his own window, then turned back to look across the front of the cab at Carlisle.

"I was about to ask you the same thing, friend."

"Yes, well, we were just here on business." Carlisle vaguely waved a hand at his family standing behind him. "But it appears that we're a tad bit late."

The man snorted. "Just a bit, I'd say. Place burned down four days ago, big fire in the middle of the night."

"Yes, I can see that. Tell me, you wouldn't know what happened to the man who was here?"

"He was inside. Didn't find anything of him, not even bones. Whatever they'd stored in there, it burned hot. They gave the building up for a loss immediately, and spent their energy saving the ones next door," he indicated with a jerk of his head.

Alice flinched and whimpered. Because of her, someone was dead. Well, more dead. It had seemed rather vague and harmless when she'd told Demetri what she'd seen, but now…looking behind her at the ruined building – it was all too real. She'd thrown someone's life away without a second thought. Had that happened to her brother in Italy? Had someone betrayed him and Bella, ending him without a thought about who he was or what he meant to his family? Esme sensed her distress and put an arm around her, holding her tight.

"You're sure?" Carlisle asked, vampire charm turned on full. The man's eyes were glazing over, but he continued to talk willingly enough.

"Oh, aye, I'm sure. I'd just spoken with Antoine a couple hours before it happened. He was supposed to show up for work - never did though. Came down here looking for him. Truck was parked across the street, building was a smoking ruin. Yep, he was in there."

"He lived in the warehouse?" Rosalie asked in disbelief.

The man shrugged. "Happens quite a bit. Had a little apartment in there. Owners hire people like him - keeps an eye on things, stuff like that. Didn't work too well that night, though. They figure it went up too fast for him to get out."

Emmett snorted quietly. "HE went up too fast, more like," he said quietly, so only his family could hear. Rosalie jabbed him hard in the ribs, and he grunted in pain.

"You knew him?" Carlisle continued questioning.

"Yeah, sort of. I arranged flights for him on the sly, if you know what I mean?" The man winked.

"Of course," Carlisle agreed pleasantly. "A pilot."

"A damn good pilot." The man sighed. "Hate to lose him. Good pilots like him are hard to find."

"Had he worked for you long?"

"Oh, few months. Hell of a night flier. Not many willing to fly at night, but that's the only time he would. Said he had problems seeing right in the sun."

Carlisle nodded. "I'm sure he did," he murmured in agreement.

"Yeah, really hate to lose him. But, it happens. You folks looking for a charter?" The man perked up at the prospect of making money.

"No, no. We were here on a matter of a more personal nature," Carlisle said.

"Alright, then." The man sat up straight and put the bronco in gear. "Take care, friend." He drove off down the road, giving a wave of his hand, which Carlisle returned.

They waited until he'd turned the corner and was out of sight before moving. "Damn, Carlisle!" Emmett boomed, slapping Carlisle on the shoulder hard enough to make him stumble forward. "That's using the ole' bedside manner!"

"Thanks, Emmett," Carlisle murmered. "Well, shall we be going?" He gestured to the car, and they headed across the street and climbed in.

"A pilot?" Rosalie asked after they'd gotten in. "A Volturi pilot, hiding out in Anchorage, Alaska?"

"He wasn't with the Volturi," Alice said.

"What do you mean?" In the back seat, Rosalie turned and looked at her sister. "How do you know that?"

"Because Demetri said he'd never met him before. That's why he was carrying a photograph, and the reason he looked me up. I bet they weren't even positive that the guy was in this area, for sure. Otherwise, he could have just asked Carlisle."

"I still think they were just feeling you out," Emmett grumbled. "I don't care how innocent you say that visit was."

"It wasn't INNOCENT," Alice said bitterly. "A man died because of me, Emmett, because of what I told Demetri."

"That man would have died anyways, Alice," Emmett retorted. "You don't just avoid the Volturi once they start hunting you down. He was dead the minute Demetri got on that plane to fly here."

Alice didn't answer.

"Well, we may never know why they were after him," Carlisle said. "I suppose that mystery is about as solved as it's going to get."

"I wonder if he ate his customers?" Esme asked, looking out the window as they drove out of the warehouse district and back towards the ferry dock.

Emmett snorted. "Probably. I mean, how convenient would that be? They were probably all criminals and drug dealers, the way that guy in the bronco was talking. Probably why he'd managed to stay here this long without us or Eleazar and the girls knowing about him – he dined out all the time!" Emmett laughed at his joke, but the others didn't join in.

"Poor taste," Rosalie murmured at him, glaring.

"Man…" he huffed. "I miss Jasper. None of you have a sense of humor."


	10. Chapter 10

A big "Thank You" to missmaj for her rec'ing this story over at the Altered Lions and Sacrificial Lambs site. You girls rock! My beta, JaspersDestiny, lives over there, too. If you haven't been, go check it out at http:// alsltwilight(dot)blogspot(dot)com/. They do great things. And they have nice artwork!

SM owns these characters, although I have to say she really did not appreciate Jasper nearly enough. *sigh*.

Chapter 10

Jasper cut through the water like a torpedo shot from a submarine. He'd never been overly fond of water sports. Edward had been the big swimmer in the family, often challenging the rest of them to long distance races whenever they settled near the ocean. Just because he didn't enjoy it, however, did not mean he did not excel at it. Like everything else related to physical activities, the mere fact that he was a vampire meant he excelled at it. He ignored the sea life around him, moving too fast to attract the attention of anything that might even momentarily consider snacking on him. Emmett had once taken on a sperm whale and had almost come out the loser. Actually, there was no almost about it. He HAD lost that one. There wasn't much you could do against something that swallowed you whole. Well, there was, but digging your way out of the belly of the beast was not something that appealed even to his crazy big brother, not to mention the fact that the stench he brought home on him had made Rosalie keep him out of their room for a month. And Esme hadn't let him even come in the house for a week. After that, Emmett had left the sea life alone when they swam.

Jasper merely concentrated on crossing the sea as quickly as he could. Time meant nothing to him in the darkness of the cold water. The pack on his back caused unwelcome drag in the water, but he was unwilling to dump his only ties to his family. Finally, he could sense the sea bed coming up toward him as he reached shallower waters. Heading towards the surface to see if he could see a shoreline yet, he breached like a whale, looking quickly around himself. It was evening again, having taken him almost the whole of the long arctic day to cross the water. In front of him, within a few miles, stretched an endless and unbroken shoreline of trees, with what might be mountains in the distance. It was hard to tell for sure about that, though, as it appeared a storm was moving in from the west. Great. Rain would further destroy Bella's scent, making it that much harder to find her. He really had been lucky so far in that area. His luck, though, over the course of THIS day, had been rapidly going downhill. And from the looks of those clouds, it would continue to do so.

Soon enough he was climbing out of the water. The shore here was rocky, the trees almost coming down to the water line in some places. It was full night now, and while he sensed no humans in the immediate area, his lack of clothing could become a problem. He'd have to take care of that as soon as the opportunity presented itself. First, though, he REALLY needed to hunt, the bear from two days ago a distant memory after what he'd been through. Tofu just didn't stick to a man's ribs like a good, juicy steak did, he thought sourly, using his lost brother's analogy.

Actually, the FIRST thing he needed to do was decide which way he'd start looking for Bella – did he turn right and head north along the shoreline, or south? He had no way of knowing where she would have come out of the water, or even if she'd been able to swim in a straight line, like he had. Hell, knowing Bella, she could still be swimming in circles out there, even if on land she'd been running in a surprisingly straight line.

He wondered where exactly HE'D come out of the water. Using the GPS gave him an exact location, but didn't really offer up much usable information. If he'd known he'd be touring the mainland, he would have invested in a better model, he thought with disgust, wanting to throw the little computer with its blinking longitude and latitude numbers into the ocean. He didn't even have a decent map of the mainland with him – they hadn't seen a need for it, all the detailed maps were of the peninsula. All he had was a world map, small, and with very little useful detail on it – unless one wanted to know the capital of Siberia, which he did not. Okay, add that to a list of things to grab when he was grabbing clothes. It was becoming a regular laundry list.

North, south, north, south. Hmm…she'd still been running a bit northwest when she'd hit the shoreline. Would she have swum that way, too? In a mindless straight line, like her running? It was the best he could come up with. He'd swum almost due west, so north it was.

Four days later found him a few hundred miles north of where he'd exited the water, and still no sign of Bella's trail. He'd stayed inland from the shore by a few hundred yards, but still, he must have followed a thousand miles of actual shore line. It would have been considerably less if he'd run in a straight line, but he didn't want to chance losing her trail. He'd reached the point where the peninsula joined the mainland he was on - almost - and he had to make a decision. Continue north, or turn and head back south?

Running along this shoreline had been nothing like running along the one on the east side of Kamchatka. Rocks, trees, small cliffs, drop-offs, mountains, and bogs made it impossible for him to make good time. He had run a ways inland from the shore, with the hope that her scent would survive better away from the water. The rain had been almost continuous, though, and there had been no sign of her as the days had passed. He'd been able to hunt easily - a couple of fish-stinking bears. He'd also found clothing that first night, stealing from what appeared to be a fishing camp of some sort. Once again, he was in ragged military-style pants and a dark sweatshirt, apparently de rigueur for the well-dressed Siberian male. There had been no cell phones, though, so he had been unable to contact anybody. He did, at least, know where he was - using the GPS device, the crappy map, and his memory of better maps. All in all, he was in a good position to get home.

Except he did not have Bella. He sighed, having made his decision. He'd head inland further, turn south, run a straight line until he hit China, and then…move further to the west, turn around, and do it again. Even with the rain, he refused to give up hope of finding her trail. He also should probably make more of an effort to find a way to contact Carlisle, who must be frantic by now, even if Alice was able to see what was going on. A vision of him running through the trees really couldn't convey much information to them.

Alright, inland and then south it was. He packed up his gear, slipped the pack on, and started running.

Two days later, he found himself on the outer edge of a fairly large town or small city, apparently some sort of mining hub. The whole place was rather depressing, set down in the middle of the beautiful wilderness as it was. But it had cell towers, and at this point, that was what Jasper cared about. It had been over a week since his last failed attempt at a phone call, and closer to two weeks since he'd talked to Emmett. There was a hollow feeling inside of him whenever he thought about his family, and he found he missed them all more than he thought he would, even Alice. He'd been concentrating so hard on his hunt that he'd not been thinking of them much at all lately, and sudden guilt washed over him.

He waited outside the town for sundown, which was coming sooner and sooner now. He hated the speed at which the day's length changed at these latitudes. At the rate he was going, he'd still be around when it was dark almost all day. His first order of business was to scout out a house whose inhabitants had stepped out for the evening. Breaking in, he chanced cleaning himself up, taking a long hot shower in a bathroom that had definitely seen better days. It was dark and dank, but the water was hot – even to his cold skin. There were clothes - and even shoes - that fit him. He left 10 minutes after he'd entered, feeling much better than he had in a while. Everybody always said vampires did not feel discomfort, but he had come to enjoy being clean in his decades with the Cullens, and it felt good to be clean again.

The cell phone was a bit more problematic. His success from Kamchatka was not repeated here, and he had to go through several drunks with no success before he finally gave up. The locals did not seem to have a need for cell phones.

Running through the city, he left the bar district behind. Soon enough, he came to the small airport that he'd seen from his hiding place on the ridge earlier in the day. There appeared to be a motel of sorts bordering the tarmac; a newer, more modern-looking building. Maybe he'd have better luck finding a phone that belonged to visitors. At this thought, though, he was struck with a feeling of guilt - by stealing a phone, how would that affect the person who missed it come morning? Would it cause them problems?

He shook his head. Dammit, he didn't care who he inconvenienced at this point. He needed a damn phone, guilt be damned. Right now, HE was the one stranded in Siberia. Moving closer to the motel, he let himself in by breaking in a service door. Slipping inside, he could hear the murmur of voices coming from various rooms. It was late enough in the evening that people had returned to their rooms, but not so late that they were asleep yet. The building was three stories tall, and on the third floor he located what appeared to be a large group of Westerners – Americans even, by the sounds of it. Perfect. He'd steal one of their phones – they'd have each other for back up come morning. He let himself into an empty room along the hallway and waited for the men to go to sleep.

He didn't have long to wait, and soon enough he was perched on top of the building, phone in hand, making his phone call. He'd thought about moving to a different location, but then decided not to bother. The signal was good here on top of the motel, and he was not likely to be discovered. Once again he dialed the alternative number, and once again he got Rosalie's sex hotline message. And, once again, he chose the 'Psychic Lover' option.

This time, though, Carlisle answered.

Well, thank God, Jasper thought. "Well, you certainly weren't who I was expecting for my Psychic Lover tonight," he said, by way of greeting.

"Jasper!" Carlisle almost shouted, the relief in his voice so strong Jasper could almost feel it through the phone. "Thank goodness you finally called."

"Didn't you know I'd be calling?" he asked flippantly. "Speaking of which, why didn't anyone answer the phone the last time?"

Carlisle was silent.

"Carlisle?" Jasper said, more sharply. "What's wrong?"

Carlisle sighed. "We've had a little…excitement…here recently." he finally said.

"What? What is it?" Jasper asked, panicking. "Is everybody alright? Esme? Emmett and Rose? Alice?"

"No, no, everything is fine. Everyone is fine. Just…tell me what is going on there, first. I assume since you're calling from a strange number again that your phone doesn't work…"

Jasper allowed himself to be deflected, mainly because he knew Carlisle well enough to know that if the older vampire didn't want to talk about it, nothing he said would convince him otherwise. And located here on the other side of the world, his other option for persuasion was useless.

"Yes," he said. "I really think you should check that coverage area with Verizon again. It's totally for shit out here. I've got some phone I stole from an American here in…Omsukchan, Siberia. Apparently, he pimped his plan before coming here – something we should consider doing before we take this trip again…"

Carlisle cut him off, "Omsukchan? Isn't that on the mainland? What the hell are you doing on the mainland?"

And with that, Jasper poured out the whole story of his last couple weeks, finishing up with how he had arrived, Bella-less, in Omsukchan, and then circling quickly back around to the things that had chased him – and evidently her, too - off of the Kamchatka peninsula.

"What the hell do you think they were, Carlisle? Whatever they were, I won't lie to you – they scared me. Bad. If you have any ideas, I'm all ears, because right now it's just one more gaping hole in our wonderful 'jump in, grab Bella, jump out' plan."

"Well, I think I might have an answer for you, unfortunately." He could hear the slightest sigh come from Carlisle, and could almost see him close his eyes while he gathered his thoughts. God, he missed his family…

"It actually might tie in with Demetri and Jane's visit…"

"Wait, wait, Demetri was there? With Jane? What the fuck, Carlisle?"

"Look, Jasper, let's finish YOUR story first, alright? I'm sitting here, in my house, surrounded by my family. Our story can wait. You're sitting there in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of danger, looking for my daughter. I REALLY suggest we take care of your shit first."

Jasper had never heard Carlisle curse. Whatever it was, it must be bad. He instantly shut up, obedient to his father who'd now assumed the role of superior officer. "Yes, sir. I'm listening."

Carlisle sighed. "I guess you would probably listen better if I just told you what's been going on, eh?"

"Probably, yes," Jasper admitted.

"Alright." Carlisle proceeded to give him the abbreviated version of the Cullens' experiences since he'd left, including a rehash of what Emmett had already told him.

"So, you're telling me they came all that way for a psychic consult?" Jasper asked in disbelief when Carlisle was done talking.

"Apparently so. That, and to take care of that other problem, which they appear to have done," Carlisle said, thinking back to the sight of the burned-out warehouse.

"Do you honestly believe that, Carlisle? Because I sure as hell do not!" Jasper was almost shouting into the phone. Shouting for a vampire – it probably would have sounded like a loud hiss to any human listeners.

"No, Jasper, I do not believe it. Eleazar and I both think they came as a follow-up visit, to see if Chelsea had been successful, possibly even to lure or take Alice back with them – Alice's visions of the possible outcomes seem to confirm this, even though she insists the meeting didn't seem that way at all. But, what do you expect me to do? We are REALLY flying blind here. Alice's visions are helpful, but you of all people know you can't plan a life around them totally. And right now, I think we need to address your problem. There are still five of us here to take care of OUR problems – and right now our main problem is getting you and Bella home."

"Yes, sir," Jasper said, trying to calm down, though he didn't know if that would be possible. "So...you're telling me you think those things are werewolves? REAL Children of the Moon werewolves?"

"Yes. Yes, I do. I've never actually seen one before. I've only seen them in drawings, several centuries ago when I was in Volterra, and now in the photo that Demetri so kindly left us. Caius'…purge…did not begin until after I'd left the brothers and come to the New World. But, based on your description, and what I've heard in the past, I think that those very well might be what they are. It does make sense…the Volturi had hunted them almost to extinction, though..."

"Well, these were definitely NOT near extinction. It was a big, healthy-looking pack - almost twenty of them, that I saw, but there might have been more who weren't showing themselves."

"Hmm. And that in itself is unusual. They were never known to travel in packs, or groups of more than two, even. Much like most of our kind, they are solitary, territorial creatures, preferring to be alone, or with a mate."

"Huh. Maybe they've gone vegetarian, like us," Jasper said.

"Doubtful," Carlisle said, but chuckled a little. "They eat human food, while in human form. And, meat, when in wolf form – often humans, seemingly by preference. But they don't fit in well with humans. They have an even more difficult time with that than we do – sparkling and eye color notwithstanding. They tend to be unstable in personality at the best of times, and rather blatant about it."

"Do they shift like the dogs in La Push? What sets them off? They showed no signs of changing there on the beach when they were stalking me...though they were certainly stressed enough to."

"No, they are not shape-shifters, not like the La Push wolves. They truly are Children of the Moon. Their change is tied to the moon, the form only overtaking them around the time of the full moon. And unlike the shape-shifters, they have no control of it whatsoever. For two or three days a month, when the moon is full, they take on the wolf form and remain that way. And during that time, they have no connection at all with their human side."

"Does the moon have to be up for the change to occur?"

"You know, I do NOT know the answer to that. I really don't know. I think, if I were in your position, Jasper, that I would not make that assumption. I think that I would be very, very wary around the time of the full moon – day and night. And that is only a week away, Jasper."

Yeah, like he didn't realize that himself. Still… "Well, they stink to high heaven, Carlisle, so I don't think they'll sneak up on me."

"Hmm…well, if the stories are true, unlike the La Push wolves, they don't stink all the time. I do know that much. The smell comes on them with the change, and fades a few days after their return to human form."

Great. So the things could be anywhere. Everywhere.

"Something you said they told you..." Carlisle began, then stopped.

"Yeah?"

"About taking a message to your master…who do you think they meant?"

"Well, as much as I like you, Carlisle, you sure as hell aren't my Master. I KNOW who he meant. He said Caius. And Bella. Why the hell would he jump to that conclusion?"

"Well, I have a theory."

"I'm listening. Look, the battery's about to die here. We need to speed this up."

"Right. I'm wondering if they think the Volturi sent you. There is something definitely going on out there, and the Volturi are aware of it. These things never travel in packs, never together like that. They are thought to be nearly extinct, but there you found a huge group. They would definitely know of the Volturi – especially Caius. And they clearly think you were a spy of some sort, along with Bella. You need to be very careful, Jasper."

"Yeah…as opposed to the romping and playing I've been doing so far. Right. I'll dial it back a bit and engage 'careful'. What else do you know about them?"

"Like I said, very little. Just what I was taught by other vampires, back in Europe – and little of that was from first-hand experience, I'm afraid. What I do know is that they can kill us, and we can kill them. Our venom is poisonous to them at all times of the month. THEIR bite can kill us, too, but only in their wolf form. Their claws can tear us. In their wolf form, they're just as fast, just as strong, just as deadly as we are. In their human form…they are still more than human. They procreate like we do – by biting. Their bite will change a human, if it doesn't kill them."

"They drink blood?"

"No, not that – but they tend to kill their victims, much like we do. From what I understand, it may take even greater restraint for them to not kill their victims."

Hmph. Wonderful. "If they're only dangerous to us for two or three days a month, what is the big deal?"

"They are only DEADLY those three days. Don't underestimate them, Jasper. They hunt. They'll hunt you the rest of the month, and move in for the kill as soon as they're able. You MUST stay alert."

"Right." Get Bella. Get Out. Get Bella. Get Out.

"That's all I have to offer right now, Jasper." Carlisle hesitated, then asked, "Do you want to speak to anyone before that battery dies?"

Jasper knew who he meant. It was as if the rest of the family was having a harder time coming to terms with what had happened than he and Alice were - which made sense, he supposed. The whole situation was surreal, in a way. To suddenly be NOT a mated pair, with no loss of life, no…emotions… Well, they were just going to have to get used to it. He was.

"Of course," he said, sounding formal even to his own ears. "I just wanted to make sure we finished talking business first. Please, put Alice on."

There was a murmuring in the background that even his vampire hearing couldn't make individual words out of. Then her voice, sounding, he thought – though surely he was wrong – as formal as he had. He wished, not for the first time, that his talent worked over the phone. He felt crippled being only able to hear the words, and to not feel what was behind them.

"Hello, Jasper."

"Alice," he replied, his voice softening. He missed her, he did. In a way. The hollow feeling - so painful, especially in the first days of their separation - was gone. But it was good to hear her voice, to know she was safe.

"You're…well?" she asked, her voice softening from the formal to the intimate, too.

"As well as can be expected." He snorted, and she chuckled. "I wish I could just come back now. This has all gotten so strange. I feel like I have fallen into a different world."

"You can't come back," she whispered. "You have to get Bella. You have to bring my sister home." She sounded almost desperate. No, she DID sound desperate.

"Have you seen anything, Alice? Do I find her? WHERE do I find her? This is a big place, Alice. So fucking big. You wouldn't believe how big. And hardly any people. Just endless woods and mountains. It would be wonderful, I wanted to bring Emmett here, it's like a Vegetarian Vampire Vegas. A vacation for us. But those things are here, and it's ruined, and I just want to come home..." he trailed off into silence, appalled at how weak he sounded.

"I don't see much of anything about you or Bella," Alice said. "Carlisle thinks these, uh, Children of the Moon interfere with my visions just like the dogs down in La Push do, which means you're too close to them, even in the future. Dangerously close. But, Jasper, I DO catch glimpses. Of both of you. There's snow on the ground – lots of snow. And trees. And mountains."

Jasper laughed. "Well, that sounds like this place – in a couple months. That's encouraging." He hadn't meant it to, but it came out more than a bit snarky and sarcastic.

"I'd tell you more if I could, Jasper," she said quietly, sounding neither hurt nor reproachful.

"I know." Jasper sighed. "Look, the battery is about to go dead. Tell Carlisle I'm starting to head south now. I'll move inland, run south as far as...well, I don't know. Just tell Carlisle I'm still looking. I'll find her and bring her home. And I'll be careful when the moon is full."

"Alright, Jasper. I'll tell him. Be careful." There was a click on the end of the line. Jasper stared at the phone in surprise.

"You should be careful ALL the time, Vampire," came a voice from behind him on the roof top. "Not just when the moon is full."


	11. Chapter 11

I don't own any of this, SM does. Yeah, yeah, yeah...

A/N at the end, so it doesn't interrupt the mood.

Chapter 11

Jasper spun around to face the cold voice, dropping into a crouch and growling. Part of his mind realized that he'd crushed the phone in the process, and he allowed the crumbled mass to fall to the ground. Standing there, looking at him with mild curiosity, was a man…that wasn't a man.

He couldn't quite pinpoint what was off – just human body odor, smoke from the cigarette, the faint stench of vodka, which seemed to permeate every human in this god-forsaken part of the world - but no trace of the offensive odor those others had had on the peninsula. The emotions coming from him – curiosity, amusement, and below it all, hatred – seemed very human. But he knew. This creature before him was most definitely NOT human. His glance went briefly to the cigarette in the man's hand and the bottle in the other, before returning to his face. Carlisle's information had been correct on many aspects. He ceased growling, but did not rise up out of his crouch.

"Jealous, vampire?" the man asked, a smirk in his voice. He deliberately brought the bottle to his lips and took a deep drink, followed quickly by a long drag on the cigarette. Jasper did not respond. "As you can see," the man continued, his English difficult to understand through his thick accent, "I perhaps have the best of both worlds, whereas you only have the one." Jasper still did not respond, and the man sighed. "Come, now. Are you not going to speak to me at all? Ah – perhaps it is because we have not been properly introduced. My name is Mstislav. And you are?" He moved the cigarette to the hand holding the bottle, offering his now free hand to Jasper.

Jasper responded with a growl. "Will you, perhaps, kill me outright?" Mstislav asked, dropping his hand. "That is what you've been taught to do, no? That is what your Master demands of you, am I right? Will you not even ask questions of me first? Are you not, perhaps, interested in what I might be able to tell you of your mate?"

That made Jasper speak. "My MATE is far from here, you filth." Well, technically she wasn't, but old habits of speech die hard.

Mstislav looked puzzled. "Have I been misinformed, then? You are not, after all, looking for the small female with the long dark hair? The crazy one?"

It was Jasper's turn to feel puzzled, though he did not let it show. This was the second time one of these things had referred to Bella as crazy - for he was sure that it was Bella the creature spoke of.

"She is my sister." The words slipped out before he could stop them.

"Ah. Your sister. You are very odd for a vampire. You claim to have a mate, but she is far away, and yet here you are, running up and down my land, looking for your…sister." He took another swig from his bottle and dragged on his cigarette, absently flicking the ash away. "I will say, I have had both a mate and a sister, and I would never waste my time leaving one to look for the other. And I wouldn't have thought a vampire would, either. Are you sure that is the only reason you are here?"

This thing knew about Bella. He had to control himself and not kill it. At least, not before he'd learned more.

The creature must have read his mind. "And before you think any more about killing me, I must tell you, I did not get up here to your little private phone booth by climbing the stairs, and I have no intention whatsoever in allowing you to kill me. It would not be the easy task you no doubt imagine it to be, and you might find it causing you no little damage, yourself. It would serve your purpose better to leave me alive.

"What do you know of my purpose?"

"I don't know anything about YOUR purpose - other than you claim to be looking for your sister." The thing snorted in disbelief. "Although, I suppose I must believe that a bit, on some level. You definitely are looking for something, and at one point you were hot on her trail. Although, now you have lost it, have you not? Since crossing the water, you merely wander. I know nothing of your claimed purpose, and I care even less. But I DO wish you to take a message back to your master…"

Jasper cut him off with a hiss. "I HAVE no master, and I am not your messenger boy."

"Really? Because that's not what your SISTER said when I spoke to her last week."

Jasper cocked his head a bit, taking in that information. Perhaps they were not talking about the same person. What in the world had Bella told this thing? "She was here?" he asked. "You spoke to her? What did she say?" He didn't want to sound eager, but if this thing could make his job any easier, he wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. Running aimlessly around Siberia held no appeal to him, especially since it seemed to be crawling with werewolves - who appeared to be in contact with each other, since this one had information about him already.

"Ah... Not so eager to kill me now, eh, Vampire? Drink?" He held out the bottle to Jasper, who ignored it. "No? I didn't think so. I don't suppose you have any American cigarettes on you, either, eh?" He shrugged when Jasper went silent again. "A shame. Yes, she was here. For a day or so. Lurking around. Like I said, she is a crazy bitch. You should be glad she is not your mate. If she is truly your sister, perhaps you should consider killing her for the sake of your family's honor, or whatever it is you call it back in your city in the sun. She is causing trouble for you all, and you would do well to stop her before she brings down worse on you. She was here one week ago. She left, and I followed her trail for a while. She came from the southeast, and when she left she was going southwest. I followed her for a day. I do not know where she was going. I doubt SHE knew where she was going. She is mad, as I am sure you already know. I tell you this so you can find her and take her from here. It is a week until the full moon, Vampire, and then WE will stop her. And you, too, should we find you still on our lands."

Quicker than Jasper would have thought possible for a non-vampire, the thing had flung the bottle at him, hitting him in the face. It startled him so much that before he could launch himself at the beast, it had jumped over the low wall of the roof and was gone. Jasper ran to the edge and looked over, but the thing was already running towards the city center - not as fast as a vampire, but certainly faster than a human. Jasper briefly considered chasing after him, but decided the likelihood that he would run into an ambush was strong. And running into the unknown was not his cup of tea. No, clearly these things caused concern in the vampire world at any time of the month, so he would take no chances. Not right now. And the threat he'd offered…that had been clear enough. He had a week to find Bella and get out, or they were both in deadly danger.

No, right now he'd steal another phone, call Carlisle again, give him this interesting update, and then take off in the direction the thing had told him and find Bella.

* * *

Once again, Jasper was running through the mountainous woods. The second phone call to Carlisle – leaving the American's another phone short - had been much briefer. Jasper had not mentioned the fact that apparently, in the werewolf world of Siberia, Bella had managed to gain the reputation for being crazy. He didn't know quite what to make of that himself, and he'd begun to - on some level - almost dread what he was going to find when he finally caught up to her. They'd argued a bit when Jasper told him he was going to follow the creature's directions on where to find Bella's trail. Well, more than a bit, if Jasper was honest with himself. Carlisle was convinced it was a trap and that he was running right into it. Jasper argued that if they'd wanted to, the group on the peninsula could have taken him down - even in their human form (not that he knew that for sure - but, neither did Carlisle). In the end, they'd agreed to disagree, Carlisle telling him that he would trust Jasper's evaluation of the situation. Jasper told him that he appreciated the vote of confidence, and didn't bother pointing out that it didn't really matter, since he was in Siberia and Carlisle wasn't.

He'd left the town far behind him, running in a zigzagged search pattern. He was thinking Bella's straight-line running might have been replaced by some other pattern of movement, especially if she was behaving erratically, as the werewolves seemed to think. He spent a lot of time wondering why they had not killed her - or him – already. Did they feel they were unable to? Or did they really want her - and him - to deliver their message?

Whatever that message was… The thing had never told him. And the thing on the peninsula? Well, that had been as cryptic as shit. He had to assume that if he really was who THEY seemed to think he was, that it would have made sense. Shit. That didn't even make sense to him.

Mstislav had been right. Jasper quickly picked up Bella's trail in the direction the werewolf had told him she had gone. He worried again that it might be a trap, but, really, what choice did he have? The trail was leading northeast, though, not southwest, and Jasper's hopes rose – surely this meant she was heading home again! Maybe she'd gotten over the shock she must have experienced after encountering the werewolves, and was now heading home.

His hopes were dashed several hours later when the trail slowly turned north, then back to the west. What the hell was she doing? The trail wasn't even accommodating terrain half the time – he was doing more than his fair share of scrambling up and down hillsides that she could have easily gone around. There were no other scents on her trail – no signs that anything had been trailing her. No reason for her erratic behavior at all.

After following her west for several hours, he came upon a reindeer carcass drained and laying near a stream. Good for her – at least she seemed to be eating properly. Soon after, her trail turned back to the east again.

What. The. Fuck.

Doggedly, he turned back east. Was she LOST? She wasn't going in circles, though – she was going in zigzags. Maybe… Was she trying to establish a territory? Jasper briefly considered the possibility. It wouldn't be totally out of the question for one of their kind – especially one that hunted animals. The land abounded in wildlife. It would make a more than suitable home – if one discounted the complete isolation...and the werewolves. He could understand her need for isolation – perhaps after losing her mate she craved the isolation. She'd certainly stayed in that cave long enough. But the werewolves – THAT should be a real-estate deal breaker in anybody's book.

Well, he wasn't going to get any answers until he caught up to her. He seemed to be gaining on her as he ran - the scent trail was gradually getting stronger. She made another turn to the west, and then another to the east before Jasper stopped again, aggravated. Enough of this bullshit – he was wasting time. He had less than a week until the next full moon, and he needed to have her with him before then. He headed straight north, away from the trail - cutting up a small river valley, which provided some fairly flat terrain in the mountainous area.

His hunch paid off, and sure enough, within 50 miles, he crossed her trail heading back to the west. He smiled to himself. 'Gotcha', he thought, and continued north. The next time he crossed her trail, it was nearly fresh – maybe only hours old. He wanted to do some sort of victory dance – he knew Emmett would have – but felt silly. Instead, he turned east and followed the trail, quickly gaining on her.

It was only a couple of hours later when he caught up to her. He topped a hill and saw her in the valley below, chasing down a reindeer. Hmm…he surely wasn't going to interrupt her hunt. He wasn't that stupid. He needed to follow her for a bit first, and see if he could determine her mental state before he approached her.

He flew down the hillside and climbed a tree near the clearing where she'd taken down the deer. She was crouched over her kill, feeding slowly, stopping every so often to swing her head around and examine her surroundings. He wondered if she'd heard him, or had just learned to be cautious of her surroundings. He suspected the latter. He knew from past experience how close he could come without being detected, and unless she had some talent they'd been unaware of when she'd left, he was nowhere near that close.

She looked…bad. Decidedly the worse for wear, Jasper thought. The clothes she wore were several sizes too big for her, and had definitely seen better days. Her hair was nothing but tangled knots on her head, her waist-length tresses barely passed her shoulders now. She looked decidedly feral, Jasper thought, and was thankful for his decision to approach slowly and carefully.

When she'd finished feeding, she stood and examined her surroundings again before trotting off to the east again. Jasper dropped to the ground and chased after her. He wasn't going to hide his presence now, but neither was he going to get within striking distance. Let her see him first, and get accustomed to his presence.

He could tell when she realized he was there because her stance stiffened slightly and her speed picked up. He continued at the same pace, not wishing to trigger her flight response. When she realized that he hadn't sped up and was drawing no closer, she slowed back down to her previous speed. Every so often, he WOULD speed up a bit - briefly - drawing closer to her little by little. They continued that throughout the night, and by sunrise he was actually only a few hundred feet behind her. As she broke out of the trees into a meadow, she suddenly halted and spun to look at him.

He immediately stopped also, remaining in the shadows of the tree line. She carefully scanned the trees before her eyes stopped on his position. She took a few hesitant steps towards him, and Jasper, moving equally slowly, stepped out of the trees and into the light. She froze and looked him over. Only a hundred or so feet separated them now.

He held a hand out towards her. "Bella," he said softly. "Come here."

She growled, baring her teeth and crouching. Jasper sighed. He was afraid it might be like this. He stopped moving, but left his hand out. The growling didn't stop, but she slowly stood back up.

Using his sixth sense, he felt for her emotions. Nothing. It wasn't the same nothing he'd felt from Alice after the…incident. This was the absence of everything - not a stirring or twitch of any sort of feeling. It wasn't a numbness; it was an absence. Her shield. Erratic when she'd left with Edward almost two years ago, it was a brick wall around her now. He tried pushing feelings of reassurance and safety at her, testing to see if he could break through it, or if she could at least feel it.

She clearly DID feel it, and considered it to be an attack. Before he could blink, she'd howled in anger and lunged at him. Knocking him over, she bit him hard in his shoulder, almost taking a chunk out way too close to his neck. Before he could react, she was gone – disappearing at full speed back towards the west.

"Son of a BITCH!" he shouted, grabbing the wound with his hand. He held the chunk of himself that she'd nearly dislodged tight to his body, waiting for a moment to make sure it was going to fuse alright before taking off after her. So... That was how it was going to be, eh?

He tried to get rid of his anger while he chased her. Rationally, he KNEW she wasn't to blame for what she'd done – she clearly was not in her right mind. But her reaction to him triggered its own set of responses in him, and his initial reaction was to chase her down, take her apart, and bring the pieces home for reassembly later. It was how he had treated valuable newborns for Maria, and it had worked quite well - more or less.

He slowed to a walk, and then stopped. Shame washed over him. He couldn't do that – she was his sister. She sure as hell didn't need him adding to her obvious trauma. He no doubt needed to move slower with her – but the days weren't going by any slower, and they had a definite deadline. He needed another plan now.

She knew he was there, now, behind her somewhere. And she obviously considered him a threat. Ironic, since he'd been so sure Emmett would have met with the same problem if he'd come after her instead of Jasper. So, back to square one. This time he didn't approach her when she slowed down and stopped to hunt. He was surprised at how soon she'd stopped – it had been only hours since her last hunt. He was pretty sure she was aware of his presence, though, because she lifted her head from the carcass every so often, sending soft growls in his direction. He decided, based on the burn in his throat, that he should hunt, too, while he had the chance. He could catch up with her when he was done feeding.

An hour or so later he'd finished a caribou and was following her again when she slowly turned and headed back to the east. Her zigging and zagging was growing shorter in duration, and he wondered if it had anything to do with his presence behind her. Or…maybe she was just wandering around Siberia because she liked it.

Again, there was only one way to find out, but he was starting to doubt her ability to answer any questions he might ask her. Jasper followed her into a valley, picking up speed now that he had a scent to follow. Up through the valley, over a pass, and down through another valley. Soon the trail - once again she was running in a straight line - was heading down out of the mountains. This side of the range was almost treeless, the tundra stretching out before them. He was close enough that he could see her far down the slopes below him, only a mile or so in front of him. Open tundra. NOT an easy place to stay hidden. He wondered where exactly they were.

Maps. Damnit! While he'd been swiping cell phones at that hotel, he should have looked for maps, too. He'd forgotten. The encounter with the werewolf must have shaken him up more than he'd realized, to make a vampire forget. To make HIM forget something as important as maps. He was starting to think he was running more and more on instinct. His 'find Bella, go home' mantra had slowly taken over his whole being.

A couple of hours after the sun set, the moon rose over the mountains to his right. To his horror, it was almost full. He only had a day, maybe two, to catch her before it was full, he realized. Catch her and…what? Hide? How far would they have to run to escape what that thing felt was its territory? There would be no stealing cars here - no roads. Running was the best - and fastest - way for them to travel in this part of the world. And they might not even have those two days - Carlisle had said it was the days AROUND the full moon that the change occurred. Did the change start ON the full moon, or before? Too many questions unanswered. Well, he could just shove those concerns back a little bit and concentrate on the more immediate concern of actually catching up to her first. Damn, she was fast. She'd pulled further away from him while he'd been thinking. She may have been living under a rock for the last 18 months, but the last few weeks had obviously restored some of her strength.

_'Or maybe,'_ part of his mind said quietly, _'It's the madness driving her to run so fast.'_

He soon hit the flat land of the tundra, unable to see her anymore. There was nothing between him and the North Pole now, just endless tundra between him and the Arctic Ocean. He stopped and squinted, looking for signs of movement in the direction her trail had led. The rising sun glinted off of water - winding rivers, ponds, and lakes that dotted the landscape. Movement caught his eye, but it was herds of the ubiquitous reindeer, seemingly everywhere out here in the wide open spaces - nothing that looked like a solitary runner. And no signs of panicked running deer, either. At least her trail was still fresh.

It was late morning when he knew he was close again. So close. If he knelt to the ground, he knew he'd be able to taste her in the dirt. He DID kneel to get a better smell, but he refrained from licking - that was just weird. She was running barefoot, like him, and he had started finding the occasional print left behind in the patches of bare dirt and sand. The wind was coming in from the north, and it, too, was bringing the scent of her to him - fresh, achingly familiar. Reminding him of home and family. Get Bella. Go home. It continued to whisper through his brain.

In spite of the fact that he knew she was near, it startled him to come through a small copse of bushes to discover her crouched on the ground over the carcass of a still twitching deer, sucking it dry. If he was startled, though, it was nothing compared to what SHE was.

She looked furious. Furious, and angry, and completely, totally feral. This time, at least, he was prepared for her reaction. Standing crouched over her kill, she hissed at him threateningly, no sign of recognition in her red eyes. No sign of ANYTHING in her eyes - just anger at having been interrupted, furious at the interloper in her feeding territory. He reached out to see what she was feeling, and again he felt nothing. He didn't make his mistake from earlier and try to influence her emotions again.

Jasper backed quickly away, his hands raised in a very human gesture. He had seen the same look in her eyes before - too many times - in his century of training newborns for Maria. Bella may be in there somewhere, but she was definitely not in charge right now. He hoped it had more to do with her feeding frenzy than anything - interrupting a feeding vampire was never a good idea, even at the best of times. He lucked out - she continued to hiss, watching him back away from her deer. She didn't relax her posture, or stop hissing, but she also did not attack him again, which was a good sign, as far as he was concerned. Reaching the bushes, he squatted down on his heels, hoping she would see that he was no threat to her or her meal. He also averted his eyes from her. His peripheral vision would be enough to let him know if she either launched herself at him or tried to flee from the clearing.

To his relief, the hissing finally stopped, and with one last angry look at him, she bent to finish her meal. The whole exchange took 15 seconds.

* * *

She quickly finished and dropped the carcass back to the wet ground. Jasper still had not looked directly at her again, but he tensed to run after her as she dropped the deer if she chose to run. But she didn't run this time. Instead, she approached him where he squatted on the ground. He tensed even further, expecting her to attack him now. He wasn't worried about himself - he knew without a doubt that he would come out the winner in any confrontation – now that he was prepared for the possibility of very un-Bella-like behavior. But he didn't want to damage her accidentally. He could hear her growling softly, but even with all his experience he couldn't tell if she was growling aggressively or not – he'd gotten spoiled by using his powers all the time. It was driving him crazy not being able to feel her at all. He turned his head slightly to get a better look at her facial expressions, and she froze. But the sound did not stop. She didn't LOOK aggressive or angry. Not anymore. She looked, well…

She looked pathetic. That was the only word Jasper could come up with. Pathetic and sad. It tore at him. Her clothes were rags. Even though she'd just eaten, her eyes were still dark red. The circles under them were large and dark. Her hair was knotted and filthy, worse up close than from a distance. And it was impossible to tell how pale she was, as she was covered in dirt on every inch of exposed skin - and with the state of her clothing, there was a lot of exposed skin. The sound continued to pour from her, and she crept a little closer to him. He finally recognized the sound. She wasn't growling at all.

She was purring.

"Bella?" he asked quietly. "Bella? It's me. Jasper."

The purring increased in volume as she crept closer yet. If he'd reached out an arm, he could have brushed her with his fingertips. But he didn't move. He did, however, continue to talk quietly.

"Bella, baby, it's Jasper. Do you remember me? Come here, baby. Come here." He reached out his hand now, slowly. She'd stopped moving forward, but slowly, slowly, her hand came up to his. He moved to hold his hand palm facing upward, and slowly she copied his movement, facing her palm downwards. Slowly, slowly their palms touched.

As soon as their skin made contact, Jasper felt a current shoot through his body. The next thing he knew, he was flat on his back with Bella on top of him, gripping his shirt and crying his name hysterically.

"Well," he said quietly, smiling. Sitting up slowly, he pulled her closer to him so that he was holding her tightly in his lap. "I guess you do remember me."

* * *

A/N I'm dedicating this chapter to my wonderful Beta, JaspersDestiny, and catonspeed (author of "The Last Mile" - go read it if you haven't done so yet), who helped me to truly envision my new character. Not. At. All. I must say, mixing "Cats" with "Twilight" is just wrong, on so many levels. I'll leave you, the reader, to figure that one out...or if you leave a review, I'll help you out a little!

That being said, I hope you like our new friend.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N SM owns it all. And yeah, it's kinda short. That happens sometimes.

Chapter 12

Bella clung to him for what seemed like hours, Jasper trying to murmur what he hoped were reassuring words, patting her back and stroking her hair. Just for good measure, he sent out feelings of calm and safety, but he could almost see those getting bounced right back at him off the wall she had around her. He did not try forcing them through her shield again – THAT wasn't even WORTH thinking about. Eventually, there in the darkness of the Siberian tundra, she finally quieted. For a while, they sat in silent stillness - two granite statues. As much as he would have liked to have remained there until she made the first move, he knew that they didn't have the luxury of time on their side. He took the werewolf's threat very seriously, and from what little he'd seen of Bella, she'd be in no shape to help him fight off the creature - or creatures. Even if she did have a hell of a bite on her. No, their best bet was to run. He felt confident that if they ran, and if they made it obvious that they were both leaving the area, the things would let them go - after all, how could they be expected to deliver their message if they were killed?

"Bella? Isabella? Do you know who I am?" he asked, addressing her directly for the first time since she'd landed on him.

"Of course," she mumbled into his chest. "What kind of a question is that, Jasper?"

He chuckled quietly. What kind of a question, indeed. "Do you know where you are?"

"I'm in hell."

He laughed out loud at that. "Yes, I'd have to agree with you on that. But, do you know WHAT hell you're in? Do you know how you got here?"

She was silent, and for a few moments he thought she wasn't going to answer him. But then she spoke quietly, "I don't know where I am. I…I don't know. Nobody speaks English. I listen in at their houses. I think it's Russian. It's so empty here. I was hoping it was Canada, but nobody speaks English…" she trailed off.

"We're in Siberia, Bella. You're right - we're in Russia. Do you remember HOW you got here?"

"I swam," she said. "How did you get here, Jasper?"

"I swam, too, Bella. But I meant earlier - how did you get to Kamchatka?"

She looked up at him now, but did not let go of his shirt. "Where?"

"Kamchatka. The place you swam here from. The place where your cave was…on the mountain. Do you remember?"

Her eyes unfocused as she thought about it. Jasper had the eerie feeling he was dealing with human Bella, not vampire Bella. A vampire had didactic memory. A vampire would have no need to think about it, to search through hazy memories. Something was definitely wrong with her.

"I fell out of a plane," she finally said.

What? Jasper wasn't quite sure how to respond to that. "Excuse me?" he finally said.

"I fell out of a plane. Actually…" She looked thoughtful for a moment, then leaned close to him to whisper, like she was imparting a great secret. "I was PUSHED out of a plane!" She started giggling.

"Pushed?" What the hell? Were the werewolves right? Could he be dealing with a…crazy…vampire? He'd never heard of such a thing. CRAZED, yes, drunk with bloodlust and killing. But not crazy.

"Yep. Pushed. He tossed me out like a sack of potatoes. Except, I don't think people throw potatoes out of planes, do they?" She giggled more, sounding borderline hysterical. "Maybe a mail sack. Or, I know – propaganda! That's it! They tossed me out like propaganda. A little Bella leaflet floating down over the enemy." She stopped giggling and looked thoughtful. "Except…I didn't float very well. I landed like a rock, Jasper. I smashed a reindeer. I killed Rudolph - BANG - landed right on top of him. Blood everywhere. I licked it off the ground." She nodded, matter-of-factly. "Probably a good thing I landed on him, too. I hadn't eaten since Carlisle's stupid sheep farm. Did you know dad made me eat SHEEP? Can you believe that?"

Jasper could believe it. They all avoided extended stays in England - and Carlisle's farm - like the plague. Only Carlisle and Esme ever spent much time in England. But that meant…if she was right…she'd gone months without feeding. Granted, she'd had her own blood - as a newborn - to sustain her. But still…she must be wrong about that. Not that it mattered right now.

"Oh, baby," he murmured into her hair. "You poor thing. Who pushed you out of the plane?"

"I don't KNOW," she told him. "He had a MASK on. It's all very James Bond-ish, isn't it?" She looked at him, wide-eyed like a child, clearly waiting for his reaction to this news. "Did you get presents from Santa Claus, Jasper?"

"Did I what?" His head was spinning, trying to keep up with her. Why would someone push her out of a plane? Someone wearing masks?

"Because I told you, I killed Rudolph. And then I took out Dasher and Dancer, and I'm pretty sure I got Prancer and maybe Vixen. Then I felt bad because Santa wouldn't have anything to pull his sleigh, so I hid in a cave. I wanted to DIE. But, you know what, Jasper? We CAN'T die. Carlisle was RIGHT about that." She had started rocking in his lap, drawing her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them, finally releasing her grip on his shirt. "I TRIED and TRIED. And then I thought that that man - who wasn't a man - would help me, but he didn't. But he said he'd come back, and I was pretty sure he meant to kill me. He PROMISED me Jasper, he PROMISED me." Her voice had taken on a sing-song rhythm. "He promised me he'd come back. But when he came back he was different, and I killed him instead. I drained him dry. Oh, my God!" She stopped rocking and looked at him, horror filling her face. "I killed a human! I DRANK from a HUMAN. They'll NEVER let me come home now! Oh, shit!"

She flung herself off of his lap and was gone in an instant. He'd been expecting this, though, and he was right behind her. He caught her within a couple hundred yards, taking her down in a tangle of limbs. She growled and hissed at him and even tried to bite him again, but he wasn't allowing that. Within two seconds, he had her wrapped in a hold she couldn't escape from, perfected from years of working with wild newborns. He whispered her name over and over again, murmuring it into her hair. After a few minutes, she settled down and stopped struggling. He didn't release her yet, though, not trusting her to not run again. Not being able to sense her was going to be a problem, he could see this already.

"Bella. You will absolutely be allowed to come back home. We already know about the hiker, Bella. We know all about it. Alice saw it. Nobody blames you. We've all been there, Bella. You'd never do that under normal circumstances. Look at you now - you've been eating reindeer, haven't you?"

She nodded, as much as she was able to with the choke hold he had on her neck with his right arm.

"All by yourself, you've been eating reindeer. That's a CHOICE, Bella. A choice you were able to make, all by yourself, without any of us to help you. You're strong Bella. I've come to take you home. Carlisle and Esme want me to bring you home. We ALL want you home. That's why I'm here - to bring you home. Do you want to come home with me?"

She nodded again, and slowly he relaxed his hold, hyper-alert for what her reaction to freedom would be. Soon enough, he'd let go of her completely and she made no move to escape again.

"Really?" she asked quietly. "I can come home?"

"Absolutely, baby. Right now. You and me. Let's go." Jasper stood up and grabbed her hand, pulling her up, too. "But we have to be careful, Bella. There's some bad shit going on up here in the middle of Hell. There are some mean-ass things after us, I think. Do you remember that?"

"I remember. I'm supposed to tell somebody something. I'm supposed to be a messenger."

"Yeah, I've heard something about that." Jasper sighed. "But I think they might have changed their minds. Last I heard, they might be more interested in just killing us."

She let out a sigh, matching his. "Isn't that the way it always goes? They ALWAYS shoot the messenger. I thought they usually let them deliver the message first, though…"

"Well, they must just want to get things done quicker. I don't know. They all seemed a bit crazy. I DO know that we're in danger, though, and we need to get moving." He grabbed her hand and started moving to the north. While he'd been chasing her the last day or so, he'd decided that heading back to the Bering Sea and crossing that way to Alaska was their best bet. He didn't know WHERE the werewolves were, but he had to assume they were everywhere. There was no way he and Bella could make it far enough west - however far that might be - to be safe before the full moon, and so he'd decided they'd just have to take their chances and head east, hoping to avoid running into anything and make it to the water. He felt trapped between a rock and a hard place, yanked in two different directions.

Literally.

"What the hell?" he shouted as she started moving south. He hadn't been expecting resistance, and stumbled back towards her, pulling them both to the ground. "We need to go this way, Bella."

"No, this way," she insisted, tugging on his hand as she righted herself, pulling him up alongside of her.

"No, this way," he said patiently, holding her hand tighter. "This way to go home, Bella."

"No, THIS way," she insisted, louder now, yanking hard enough that her hand pulled out of Jasper's. "We have to go THIS way, Jasper! We can't go home without Edward!"

Jasper's heart sank. He'd been expecting problems, but not this. Did she not know that her mate was dead? He hadn't said anything about Edward, he hadn't even planned on mentioning his name. He just wanted to get her home - get her safe - before any more talking about what had happened to her took place. He thought quickly. How did one deal with someone who might not be quite…right? Especially when that someone was a fellow vampire, more than capable of ripping your arms off – literally. What exactly did she mean, get Edward? He REALLY wanted to know, but he wasn't about to ask straight out. "Um, Bella, if we go this way, it'll be much safer…we can get home first, to Esme and Carlisle. Then we can think about…getting Edward." He didn't want to tell her that what was left of her mate was sitting in an urn back at their house in Alaska. Get Bella, Go home. That's all he wanted to do. He reached for her hand, trying to grab it again.

"NO!" she shouted, backing away from him. "We have to get him NOW. I waited too long in that cave. I was so WRONG. And I can't wait any longer. THIS way."

"But, Bella," Jasper tried to reason with her, "you WERE going north when I found you. Let's just keep going that way…" Get to the sea - to water - to find and steal a boat and go home.

She hesitated, considering his words. "But I was wrong..." she began. "I was going the wrong way..." She looked confused. "I need to go THAT way." She pointed back behind her, to the southwest. "Can't you FEEL it?" She looked at him pleadingly. "Can't you feel that pull?"

He shook his head. The only pull he'd felt was the one pulling him back to the east, back to Alaska. It used to pull him back to Alice. Now it only pulled him back to the Cullens. And that pull was not nearly as strong as it had been. It was barely a faint tug now. He didn't know quite what to make of that, of the lessening, but he refused to dwell on it. "My pull is that way." He pointed to the east of them. "And to get there, we need to go north and find a boat."

She looked from him to the east, where he pointed, and back to the southwest. She nodded, slowly. "I feel that, too…but the other pull is so strong..." she trailed off. "Sometimes I feel it. Sometimes, there's just a big HOLE, right here." She pounded her fist against her chest. "Then I just want to…stop. Stop being. Like in my cave ..." She continued to look back and forth in the direction of the separate pulls, clearly trying to decide.

Her words disturbed Jasper, for he could feel what she was talking about. He'd had a similar feeling of emptiness in his own chest lately. He KNEW what caused his, or at least he was pretty sure. He'd attributed it to being separated from Alice, so it made sense that she would be feeling the same, having lost Edward. How could he tell her that whatever was at the other end of her pull, it wasn't Edward? Was she just being pulled back to the spot where she'd last seen him? Whatever was causing it, Jasper knew it was NOT a safe place for her to go.

"Bella. Isabella," he said, using her full name with the hope of cajoling her into coming with him easily. "Come with me. Come with me now, and I promise I'll help you…follow that other pull. Once we're safe. Once we're out of here, away from this danger. I promise".

She looked in both directions again before looking at him and nodding. "Alright. I'll come with you. But you remember you promised. Don't forget. Make us safe, Jasper."

Jasper sighed in relief. "I promise. Once we're safe. Come on, follow me." He felt like a weight had been removed from him. He felt…happy.

"Do you know where we're going?" she asked, as they started running northward.

"Not a clue," he told her, laughing. "But when we get there, we need to find a boat. And we need to hurry!"

* * *

Okay, so...last chapter I mentioned mixing "Cats" and "Running", and I implied that if the reader reviewed, I would enlighten them further on the subject. A lot of you reviewed, but I forgot to mention that little tidbit in my replies. I'm at the point in my life where if it's not staring me in the face, I forget about it. So...you all get to know more than you wanted to about an author's dirty little secret. When first writing about him, I could never remember how to spell Mstislav's name, which is really sad, considering he is my first original character. I mentioned it to my Beta, and by the end of the conversation, his name had degenerated to Mr. Mistoffelees. *sigh*. Not that he wouldn't look good in tights, but that's not really the image I wanted of him.


	13. Chapter 13

These are SM's characters. Any right to make money off them belongs to her. Luckily, I'm allowed to borrow them and have fun with them.

Chapter 13

BANG BANG BANG

"Jasper?" Bella whispered in the dark.

"Yes, Bella?" he whispered back.

"I'm scared," she whispered, and he felt her small hand groping for his, grabbing his leg instead. He reached out and gently took her hand, twining his fingers with hers.

BANG BANG BANG

"Me, too," he whispered back, pulling her closer to him and putting his arm around her shoulders.

BANG BANG BANG

"That is REALLY getting old," he snarled.

BANG BANG BANG

"Do you think they can get in?" she whispered.

"I think if they could have made it through that metal hatch, they would have," he told her, squeezing her tighter, feeling her shake under his arm.

BANG BANG BANG

"How long are they going to do that?"

"Umm…another two or three days?" he said, glad for once that he couldn't feel anything coming from her. Her shield still held tight.

"WHAT?" she squeaked. "Three DAYS?"

BANG BANG BANG

They were persistent fuckers, Jasper admitted grudgingly. The banging and tearing against the metal hatch had already been going on for almost five hours, if his sense of time was right.

Bella fell silent next to him, trying, he assumed, to ignore the banging on the hatch that led to their sanctuary, like he was.

"Jasper?" she whispered again, about an hour later.

BANG BANG BANG

"Yes, Bella?"

"Tell me again about how you'd keep me safe? Because I'm not feeling very safe right now."

"I'm not feeling very safe, either, Bella," Jasper admitted.

BANG BANG BANG

"But if you think about it – they're out there, and we're in here. So we ARE safe," he reasoned, hoping she would buy it.

She was silent again, and Jasper thought back to how they'd gotten into this situation in the first place.

_They had run north and east, as he'd wanted. They had run fast, only stopping to feed once, and then only because they had quite literally run across a herd of reindeer. The damn things seemed to be everywhere in this part of the world. Half a day after he'd found her, the trouble started._

_The almost-full moon was coming up over the horizon when they both heard the howls in the distance, coming from behind them. They'd stopped running and looked at each other, realization dawning on Jasper's face, and fear on Bella's._

"_They tracked us," he'd whispered._

_Bella whimpered._

"_Bella. Tell me...before, when they chased you off the peninsula, were they transformed or were they human?"_

"_Transformed," she whimpered, looking behind them, back the way they'd come._

"_Okay. Do you remember – were you faster than they were? Can we run for it?"_

_She shook her head slowly. "I don't think so, Jasper. They chased me, but some of them circled around and were waiting for me on the beach."_

"_But you escaped into the water," he stated, looking around as if he could conjure up a body of water larger than the small ponds and streams they'd encountered so far._

_She shook her head. "They LET me escape, Jasper. Some of them followed me into the water. They chased me in the water to make sure I kept swimming. Although, I think I could swim faster than them. Wolves aren't really built for speed in the water, you know? They let me go before, Jasper, because they wanted me to deliver their message."_

"_Shit," he cursed. He didn't agree with her assessment. According to Carlisle, the wolves were not capable of coherent thought when in their wolf form, which meant they didn't give a damn about any __message. She was probably more than a little lucky to be alive – but he wasn't going to tell her that. "Well, it's a moot point because I'm not seeing any water anyway. At least, not any that's big enough for us to hide in. Okay, then, plan 'B'."_

"_What's plan 'B'?" she asked._

"_Run like hell," he said. "Until I come up with plan 'C'. And let's hope we don't have to fight. BUT, if we DO have to fight, let's hope there's only a couple of them." There had been only two howls coming from behind them, so he was feeling hopeful._

_Suddenly, though, from the north, came more howls. _

"_Shit. RUN!"_

_They ran. They ran due east for what seemed like days, but in reality it was only two or three hours, the howls coming closer all the time. Suddenly, from far off to the east, came more howls._

_Bella started to freak out, coming to a sudden halt and shaking. Her head swung side to side, her eyes not focusing on anything. A high, panicked keening started coming from her throat. Jasper recognized it from his days with Maria. It was the sound made by the newborns when they realized he was going to destroy them. The sound of vampire fear._

_He slapped her hard._

"_BELLA. STOP IT," he roared. "We're going to be alright. STOP IT." He slapped her again, and she quieted, her hand going to her face where his palm had made contact. "We're going to be okay."_

"_Think, Jasper, think," he said, holding tight to her hand, but otherwise ignoring her trembling form. He stared at the mountains to the south of them, still quite visible. So far, there were no howls coming from that direction. He squinted slightly and studied them more carefully._

"_Excellent," Jasper hissed. Bella looked at him. _

"_What is it?" she asked._

"_Plan 'C'." he said, not offering any other explanation. He started running to the south, yanking her after him. She didn't argue, trusting him. As soon as he saw that she wasn't going to argue, he dropped her hand again to make running easier. Soon enough, they were in the foothills, the howls coming much closer behind them. Bella could see now that they were heading towards what looked like radio towers. Jasper's sight must be much better than hers, even with her vampire improvements. She hadn't noticed them at all until now._

_The towers grew closer, and soon they could make out a few cement building at the base of them. The howls had all merged behind them and were getting closer, when suddenly they were joined by howls coming from directly in front of them._

"_We'll be okay," he said again, grabbing her hand and running for the buildings. "Just stay with me." __When they reached the buildings, he stopped and surveyed the installation. It was clearly abandoned, __but Jasper was feeling much better about their situation._

_He didn't know if Bella believed him or not, but she allowed him to drag her along, and that was all that mattered._

Which is how they found themselves in their present situation, locked in an abandoned missile silo somewhere in Siberia with a pack of werewolves doing their damnedest to get inside.

Jasper made a mental note to be sure to update Carlisle's werewolf information. They may be strong, but they were not AS strong as vampires. He was positive that he, or any other vampire, could have ripped the metal hatch off quite easily by now – even without the benefit of a handle of some sort. It sounded like the wolves were doing some major damage, but were definitely unable to get in. Of course, their lack of opposable thumbs at this stage might have something to do with their problems getting in. He hoped it stayed that way, though…

BANG BANG BANG

The silo was pitch black, even to vampire sight. Right now, Jasper didn't care.

BANG BANG BANG

He knew he should be feeling around in the dark, looking for…something - another way out, or another door to put between them and the creatures outside. But he just didn't feel like it. Right now, all he wanted to do was sit and hold Bella close to him, inhale her scent, and pretend they were somewhere else. ANYWHERE else. Without thinking, he started rubbing her arm, absently stroking up and down. She snuggled in closer to him and started purring again, as she had back on the tundra when she first saw him. He thought again about what a pleasant sound it was, how much he liked hearing it come from her throat.

"Jasper?" she whispered again.

"Yes, Bella?" he whispered back.

BANG BANG BANG

"When they change back, will they go away?"

BANG BANG BANG

"I honestly don't know, Bella. They have to eat."

"What do they eat?"

"Well, Carlisle said they eat human food. Or, when they're in this form, meat – like any other wolf. Although, supposedly they have a preference for humans."

"You've talked to Carlisle?"

He nodded, knowing she could feel the movement. "I talked to him back in Omkuctcha. That's how I knew about the werewolves. I told him about running into them on Kamchatka, and he told me what little he knew of them."

"Oh. Did he say anything else?"

He smiled in the dark. He knew what she was looking for. "He said he misses you, and he wanted me to find you quickly and bring you home."

"But, you said you'd take me to Edward after you made sure we were safe. And we're safe now, so when they go away, then you have to take me…" she trailed off.

Jasper sighed. He HAD said that. That wasn't exactly the way he'd intended it to happen. Then again, why the hell not? Their family. That was why not. He needed to get home; get Bella home. Didn't he? He'd promised them he would bring her back. Now he had her, and as soon as those damn wolves changed back and slunk away, he could take Bella home and… But, dammit, he had promised her. Damn, he was confused.

BANG BANG BANG

"What do they eat, Jasper?" she asked.

"Carlisle said they eat human food." he repeated his previous words, wondering if she hadn't been listening to him before. "And I don't think there is any of that around. Once they change back into their human form, I bet raw reindeer might lose its appeal…" He actually did NOT know this for sure, but he didn't want to think about the possibility of a prolonged siege. He and Bella would eventually have to get out of here, wolves or no wolves.

"You don't really know for sure, do you, Jasper?" she asked perceptively.

BANG BANG BANG

"No, Bella, I do not. But, I DO know I will get you out of here, one way or another."

"I know you will. Do you think…do you think Alice sees us stuck in here? Not that they can do anything to help."

"I don't know. It'd be awfully hard for her to see anything at all, since we are in the dark," Jasper told her, thinking of Alice's brief vision of Bella all those months ago. "And, well, we don't think she can see you very well at all – probably because of your shield. I don't know if she'd be able to see me, since I'm so close to you right now. And I don't know if she can see anything with those things going at it out there – remember how she couldn't see the dogs from La Push?"

"Oh, yeah…I sort of remember that." She sighed. "Sometimes I wondered about that, you know? Wondered if she could see me. Wondered if anybody knew I was alive. If anybody was even looking…"

Jasper dropped her hand and pulled her into his lap, holding her close. For a moment she stiffened, but then relaxed into his hold. "We looked, Bella. We never stopped looking. Alice saw nothing." He didn't mention that brief, dark image that Alice had insisted was of Bella. A small lie, but one he'd let stand for now. "Nothing until she saw you in your cave. I came as soon as we knew something - as soon as we knew where to start. But she never stopped looking. We never believed you were dead."

BANG BANG BANG

They sat in silence for a while, trying to ignore the banging, scraping, and howling going on outside.

"Jasper?" Bella whispered finally, not lifting her head from where she'd buried it in his chest. His arms were still locked around her, holding her tight.

"Yes, Bella?" he whispered back, wondering, not for the first time, why the hell they were whispering, but not willing to break the precedent she had set.

BANG BANG BANG

"I'm afraid of the dark."

Well, fuck. What should he say to that? What the hell kind of a vampire was afraid of the dark? "Uhhh, really?" he finally said. Great. Very intelligent response, Jasper, he thought, mentally slapping himself.

"Yeah."

He didn't say anything for a moment. Then he leaned forward and pulled the backpack off and brought it around to the floor beside them.

"What is that?" she asked, lifting her head. He missed the feel of it against him immediately. He could tell she was leaning forward and feeling the backpack with both of her hands, trying to figure out what it was.

He laughed a little. "That's my James Bond bag," he said.

BANG BANG BANG

"Your what?" she asked, clearly puzzled.

"My James Bond bag. It has everything I need to get in, rescue you, and get out safely."

"Then why are we still here?"

BANG BANG BANG

"Because, Bella, James Bond is highly overrated, and Emmett packed the bag - and he knows fuck-all about rescuing damsels in distress from enraged werewolves in the middle of the Siberian tundra."

She giggled at that. "No, really, what is in the bag?"

"Well, let's see…" He opened the bag and felt around in the dark, quickly finding what he wanted.

Bella heard a snap, and then they were bathed in green light.

"A lightstick?"

"Indeed. There are several, so you are in luck."

"I can't tell you how much better that makes me feel."

Jasper looked around at their surroundings. Frankly, he thought the light made their surroundings look creepy, but whatever. The room they were in was large and empty, and the lightstick threw strange shadows everywhere.

"And, not that I'm not grateful," she continued, "but, why the hell would he send you with lightsticks?"

"He's always thought they were cool." Jasper shrugged. "And we never actually NEED to use them. He'll be pleased beyond belief when he finds out we actually used them. Make sure you mention it to him." That got a chuckle out of her.

"What else you got in there?"

He pulled the maps out first and handed them to her, keeping one arm firmly around her waist, holding her to him. "Maps. Of the Kamchatka peninsula. Which we are no longer on. Which I was on for a total of three days, never once needing to look at a map."

She laughed again, and it sounded like music. "Okay. Is there a map of Siberia in here, too?"

BANG BANG BANG

"No, Bella, there is not. Not one map of Siberia. I do have a lovely map of the world - WHY, I'm not sure - but, it's really too small to be useful to us. I'm having to go off of my memory, here, which, luckily for us, is perfect."

"So you know where we are, then?"

"We are in Hell, Bella."

BANG BANG BANG

"Okay, what else?"

"A handy dandy GPS thingy. Which, amazingly enough, picks up a satellite signal, even here in good ol' mother Russia."

"Ooh – can it tell us where we are?" she asked hopefully.

"Probably."

BANG BANG BANG

"Then can we…"

"We cannot, Bella. It needs to be charged."

"Oh…not very useful, then, is it?"

"I have a charger for it, Bella, but it is a solar charger."

BANG BANG BANG

Bella started laughing in earnest now. "What else is in there?"

"A phone."

"Can we call out for pizza?" she asked flippantly, clearly enjoying herself.

BANG BANG BANG

"We could, but Carlisle did not want to pay for extended coverage, so I'm afraid I have no service here."

"Hmmm…who would have thought Carlisle would be so cheap?"

"Come on, Bella – you fed on sheep from his farm, didn't you? Would it be so hard for him to run an exotic animal farm instead of a sheep farm? I'm probably lucky he added me to his plan at all!"

They were both laughing now, both knowing that Carlisle was anything but cheap.

BANG BANG BANG

"Bella, we tried our best," Jasper said quietly, when their laughter had finally died down. "We came into this totally blind. All we knew was that you were in a cave on Kamchatka. International Rescue is not something we've ever done before…"

She reached for his hand. "I know, Jasper. I think you're doing a wonderful job so far. I'm VERY glad you found me."

BANG BANG BANG

Two or three more hours went by, the light stick still providing plenty of light. Jasper broke the silence this time.

"Bella?"

"Yes, Jasper?"

"Do you want to talk about…what happened to you?"

He didn't want to say Edward's name. He didn't really want to say ANYTHING and cause a 'Bella Freak Out' again. But really, he needed some information so he could decide what to do once they got out of their current situation.

BANG BANG BANG

She sighed. "No. Yes. I guess so. I…don't remember much. How is that possible? I thought we had perfect memory?"

"I don't know, Bella, but I will take your word for it. It's okay, just tell me what you do remember."

"Well, I remember Carlisle's sheep…" He could hear the smile in her voice, though she was facing away from him now, having settled herself between his legs, leaning her back up against his chest. He encircled her loosely with both arms, leaning back away from her a bit so she wouldn't, hopefully, feel threatened in any way, but still able to keep a hold of her if she tried to do something stupid.

BANG BANG BANG

"Yes, you told me that," he said, smiling back at her.

"And then…we got on another plane - Edward and I did, but Carlisle couldn't. They wouldn't let him. They said his name was on a list."

"Yes," Jasper said. Carlisle had told them this. Jasper suspected - and Carlisle had agreed with him - that this was no accident.

"But he said to go on without him, so we flew to Rome. Then we got a car and Edward drove us to Volterra. We got there in the morning and he said we could just…leave as soon as we were done. He said it wouldn't take long..." she trailed off, and Jasper gave her shoulders a reassuring squeeze. She was silent for a while before continuing.

"We went there, and went in. That woman...that human - Gianna - was still…working there. She was still human. She spoke to us. She congratulated me on my…change…said how nice I'd turned out. That was REALLY weird, you know?"

He nodded against her head. He could imagine it would have been weird.

"She sent us right in, and Aro was there. He sent for his brothers, and he made small talk while we waited. There were a few others there. Some I recognized from before – Demetri, but not Felix; that little bitch, Jane, and her brother. Aro told us he was glad we came, told me I was…pretty…" She tensed up then. "I don't think Edward liked what he was thinking then because he growled at Aro when Aro said that."

Jasper imagined that Edward had indeed growled. He felt like growling, too, thinking about that old pervert talking about Bella like that. He was sure Aro had meant a lot with that one word – and 'pretty' wasn't enough for Bella.

"When Caius and Marcus came in, Aro asked if he could touch me…like we _would_ or _could_ say 'no'…and he touched my face…" Bella shuddered at the memory of his touch. Jasper had never met the man, but he remembered perfectly what Alice felt when she spoke of her own encounter with Aro. "And he still couldn't see my thoughts. I thought it would upset him, but it made him happy."

"How did you know?" Jasper asked.

"He SAID it did. He said it was wonderful - that he was so pleased with my gift. Edward was NOT happy he said that. He was worried. He and Carlisle both had worried - they… had said Aro would want me even more if my gift still worked with him - that he would want to add me to his collection…"

Jasper nodded. They had all discussed this possibility before the three had journeyed to Italy.

"Then he asked us if we wouldn't reconsider joining them, and Edward said 'no, thank you' - he was very polite about it, and Aro was very polite back. Then Edward asked if we could go, and Aro said 'yes', and said how sorry he was that Carlisle had not been able to make it. And then we left the castle."

"What did the other two brothers do while this was going on?" Jasper asked.

Bella was silent for a moment. "They watched. Then they both came down to us to say goodbye. Marcus looked…bored."

Jasper laughed. "From what I've heard, Marcus ALWAYS looks bored."

"Yes, well, he looked bored. And sad … he took my hands and said he was pleased to see our bond had survived my transformation because he'd said how strong it was when I was still human," she explained. Jasper nodded, not bothering to tell her that he probably remembered that better than she did, even though he hadn't actually been there. "And Caius, well, he just looked ANGRY."

"Angry at you?" Jasper asked, surprised.

"I don't know…almost angry at Aro. Like he was angry that Aro was letting us go. Jasper…oh, God, Jasper. He…they…Edward's DEAD!" she wailed.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

"He is, Bella. He is very much dead."

"Are you sure?" she wailed. She pulled out of his arms and spun around to face him, nothing but their knees touching now. Jasper didn't like it, but he wasn't about to pull her back to him right now.

BANG BANG BANG

"Aren't you? Weren't you there?" Jasper was surprised, reaching out to take her hands instead. They'd all just assumed...

She shook her head. "No," she whispered. "I mean, I was there, but there was a bag over my head. I couldn't see anything, I could only hear...and I smelled the smoke, but I didn't SEE anything...and then they took me away and I never saw him again, and they never said anything about him...are you SURE? How do you KNOW?"

Jasper sat as still as stone for a moment, gathering his thoughts at vampire speed while trying to ignore the incessant banging, scratching, and growling in the background. He needed to be very careful here, so as not to trigger her flight response, which as far as he could tell - so far - was on a hair trigger.

"I'm positive, Bella. Carlisle brought Edward's ashes back with him from Italy. They're in an urn on the mantle at the house in Alaska." Bella went rigid immediately, and he knew she was going to freak out.

_Nice, Jasper_, he mentally kicked himself. He believed in being totally honest, but this might not have been the time for bluntness. Bella needed kindness, not a military debriefing. He tightened his hold on her hands.

She didn't relax, but she also didn't make any further move to escape. Jasper didn't let that fool him into releasing her, though."You know they're his?" she finally asked. "Did...did Alice see that happen?"

Jasper shook his head. "Alice saw you and Edward being chased through Volterra, and through the countryside. Then everything went dark. That was the last time she saw you until the cave, like I said before." Once again he left out the brief flash Alice had had of Bella in the dark. Okay, so maybe he did believe in withholding _some_ information. "She tried to call...but Edward didn't answer. And we knew...we knew it was too late. She called Carlisle and told him. She tried to get him to turn around, to come back. She kept seeing disaster if he continued on to Italy and confronted the Volturi, but he ignored her. He continued on, and he arrived in Volterra probably ten hours after...you and Edward disappeared."

Bella shuddered. "Did they...hurt him?"

"Of course not," Jasper snorted, "are you kidding? Aro denied any knowledge of your whereabouts. He reminded Carlisle of how they were old and dear friends, and how he would never do such a thing to someone Carlisle cared about. He reminded him of how he'd already twice let Edward go unharmed, and how he would have no reason to have changed his mind this time."

Bella snorted at this, and Jasper thought it sounded remarkably like his own snort of disbelief. "Sounds like him," she muttered.

"Yeah, well, Carlisle didn't believe him. But what could he do? He really knew something was wrong when he refused to take Aro's hand when he offered it and Aro didn't force the issue. Aro offered to have the guard track Edward and Bella, to see if they could find you for him. Carlisle politely declined the offer and instead took off after you himself – luckily it was night again by then, or I don't think the Volturi would have tolerated it, even in the name of friendship."

"Wait, wait," Bella interrupted again, scooting a little closer to Jasper again. "Carlisle TRACKED us?" She looked amazed, and Jasper laughed.

"I know. A difficult thing to picture, isn't it? It's easy to forget sometimes that he IS a vampire. Did you ever hunt much with him - before?"

Bella shook her head. It had always been just her and Edward. A volatile newborn did not tolerate a lot of company when hunting, and the family had kept their distance when Bella had fed. Between the actual hunt itself, and the resulting passion that it usually ignited between her and Edward, hunting for Bella had not yet become a family affair.

"Well, when we get back, it's something you need to experience. He's an amazing hunter, Bella. All the more amazing because you'd never expect it of him. I think it's because he's spent so much of his life practicing medicine, spending hours every day surrounded by scents, using them to help him diagnose stuff. He's probably the best hunter out of all of us, definitely the best tracker. You need to see him in action to believe it. So, yeah, he tracked you."

Bella was still shaking her head a little, but didn't say anything else.

"He said it was pretty clear from the trail that you left through the city that you were being followed - that you KNEW you were being followed." He paused, watching to see her reaction. She nodded slowly and he continued, deciding to get his side – or rather, Carlisle's side – of the story out first, before pressing for hers. "Through the city, out into the countryside. By then, Demetri and another guard member had joined him. You remember Demetri?" Again she nodded. "Whether it was to help out, or to keep an eye on him, Carlisle didn't know and he said he didn't care, at that point. Meanwhile, Alice was hysterical and we were calling him every five minutes. He wouldn't answer the phone. Esme was... well, Esme was worse off than Alice." Jasper was silent for a moment, reliving the hell.

He looked at Bella, catching her eye and holding it. "It didn't take him long to find where they'd caught you. He could tell it had been a fight. Well, Edward had fought. There were just too many of them. Eight of them, Bella. Eight scents that he didn't recognize. Eight sents that he hadn't smelled anywhere around the castle in Volterra. Demetri and the other guardsman also claimed to not recognize the scents, but of course, we have no way of knowing if they were telling the truth." No way anymore, he added silently to himself.

"He could tell from the amount of venom spilled on the ground that Edward had managed to do considerable damage to several of them before...succumbing...himself. They'd burned him right there, Bella, and they didn't bother to scatter the ashes. There hadn't been any wind, I suppose, to scatter them, either. I don't know if you knew this, Bella, as you haven't, um, experienced it since your change, but when a vampire is...burned...the ashes will retain some of the vampire's scent. They were – are – definitely Edward's." Jasper shuddered a bit, another memory springing to mind - Carlisle opening the box when he got home, forcing them all to smell what remained of their sibling. Forcing them to acknowledge the finality of it. Forcing them to understand that Edward was never coming back. Jasper had killed hundreds, if not thousands, in his time. He'd never been bothered by death before. He thought perhaps he'd never fully recover from this one.

"Carlisle gathered the ashes, first thing. He gathered them up - all that he could - and tied them in his shirt. Then he followed your scent, and the scent of those who carried you. He knew you'd been hurt." Jasper stopped talking again, scanning her quickly for signs of where the damage had occurred, but no scars jumped out at him. He'd follow that line of thought in a bit, he decided. "He was frantic. I didn't need Edward's talent to be able to see that when he was telling us the story later. I could feel it." Jasper took a deep breath and continued. "He followed them to a road, where they apparently got in a car and drove away from Volterra. He lost the scent when the car entered a busier roadway. At that point, he decided to return to Volterra, and he finally answered his phone."

Jasper stopped talking again. They sat in silence, disturbed only by the ever present sounds from outside the hatch.

"Did he come home then?" Bella whispered.

Jasper looked at her. He knew what she wanted to know. Had she been abandoned so quickly, left behind as a lost cause? Forgotten now that the son, the firstborn, the golden child was dead?

"He didn't come home for a month, Bella," Jasper said quietly. "He searched all over the country for some sign of you. He returned regularly to Volterra, Aro letting him have free run of the castle, constantly searching for some new sign that you were being held there. Nothing. He'd gone back to ignoring our calls."

Jasper looked away from her for a moment. "We honestly thought we were going to lose him, too. Alice's visions...they started showing him doing something foolish. Up until then, he'd annoyed the Volturi, but nothing more. But he was becoming increasingly careless as he sank deeper into despair. Alice finally convinced him...well, she'd had several visions showing him being destroyed, which at that point didn't seem to bother him very much, but then they started to be followed up by visions of the REST of us being destroyed, too. That was what finally got his attention. A few days after she told him of those visions, he chartered a jet and flew home. He never gave up, Bella. He just..."

"...had to protect who was left," Bella finished his sentence.

"Yes," Jasper whispered, not meeting her eyes.

"Jasper." She reached out a hand and gently grabbed his chin, bringing his head up so that she was looking him in the eyes. "I understand. It means a lot to me to know that...that I wasn't forgotten."

"Never, Bella." He leaned toward her, and she leaned into him. He gently kissed her on the forehead. "You were never forgotten."

They were both looking down now, their foreheads touching. She shook one of his hands off and reached up, giving his hair – pulled back off his face in a short ponytail - a couple of gentle tugs.

"I like what you've done with your hair, Jasper," she said, looking up and smiling.

He took it as it was no doubt intended - as a break she needed in the painful conversation. He swept his free hand over his head. "Well, when you're running through the woods, it makes more sense to tie it back, rather than letting it hang in your eyes. Although, I was always led to believe that this look was considered quite sexy amongst the teen crowd, at least in recent years. I like what you've got going on there, too, Isabella," he said, reaching out and gently patting her hair, a lot of it matted into an almost helmet-like configuration. "It seems to be serving the same purpose. Although, I would have thought you'd be more of a french braid sort of girl, rather than going with the Rastafarian look."

She dropped his other hand and reached up to feel her hair, a look of sadness settling over her features. "By the time I was...in any shape to braid it...it was already matted like this. And I didn't care much by then, anyway." She tugged on some of the loose strands that had somehow managed to avoid the general mess of tangles. "Do you think it can be fixed?"

He looked her over critically. "Honestly? If you were a dog, I'd shave you - without a second thought. Hell, if you were still HUMAN I would shave you bald and call it a job well done. But since you're neither, I guess we'll just have to go slowly and do it the old fashioned way."

"Do you have any detangler in that bag?" she asked, smiling a little.

"I don't even have a COMB in that bag. Come here." She allowed him to pull her back to his chest. He turned her around again so her back was to him, but he left some space between them this time. "Let me," he whispered again. "We've got plenty of time right now. And I can even french braid it for you when I'm done."

"Really? That doesn't seem like a skill you'd have," Bella told him. "I mean, Alice doesn't have very long hair..."

"Rosalie," Jasper explained. "Emmett couldn't braid to save his life, and she always said Alice pulled too tight."

"We're vampires, Jasper. Why would that matter?"

"She said it made the braid look wrong. Look, all I'm saying is, Rosalie likes the way I braid hair."

"Alright. But that's kind of weird."

"You're going to be seeing a whole lot of weird in this life, Bella. Just stick with me." Jasper began to carefully untangle her hair.

It took all of 30 seconds for him to realize that they might not actually be stuck in the silo long enough to resolve Bella's hair issues. He also knew that he needed to bring up the unpleasant subject of Bella's missing time again. But she was relaxing into his touch, almost purring again as he gently tugged at knots and tangles. He could easily get lost in this task. He leaned closer to carefully sniff her, trying to pick up her scent. He could still smell her underneath the layers of dirt, blood, and other unpleasantness. He'd hoped she hadn't noticed, but he wasn't that lucky.

"Are you sniffing me, Jasper?" she asked, laughter in her voice.

"What if I am?" he asked, leaning away from her again. "I'm just...making sure it's easier for me to find you again, if I need to."

She turned her head slightly, bringing her nose around to his arm. She inhaled deeply, and then her tongue shot out quickly and she licked him. A tingle shot up his arm. "There," she said softly, "now I can find you, too."

Jasper didn't know how to respond to that, and it turned out he didn't really need to because at that moment an explosion of sound came from the direction of the hatch.

The banging and scratching had stopped, only to be replaced by growling, snapping, and sounds of animal pain. Apparently some sort of dispute had broken out amongst their unwelcome visitors, and it continued for several minutes before silence reigned.

"What just happened?" Bella whispered, bringing her mouth to Jasper's ear, trying to be as quiet as she could.

Jasper shivered at the contact of her lips on his skin. "I think they had some sort of disagreement," he replied, struggling to sound normal.

"Do you think they killed each other?"

"I wish. I don't think we'll be that lucky." Jasper had been able to identify eight different creatures, based on the differences in their voices - too many for him to handle alone. If even one or two of the things got killed by their fellow werewolves, it could be a big help to him and Bella.

The silence continued for a few more minutes, and he started wondering if maybe they WERE going to be that lucky.

"Do you think we can leave now?"

Jasper shook his head. "I don't care how silent it is out there. We're not leaving until I'm confident that they're back in human form."

"How long is that again?"

"I'm still giving it another two days, just to be safe."

Bella groaned. "I'm getting really thirsty, Jasper."

Jasper gently turned her head around so he could see her eyes. They were indeed black, much darker than they had been even a few minutes ago.

"Geez, Bella. You shouldn't have to feed this often. I mean, you've been feeding regularly since I started tracking you. You shouldn't be this hungry this quickly."

"Maybe it's my shield. Maybe it takes a lot of energy to keep it up?"

Jasper considered this for a moment. "Possible," he finally agreed. "Quite possible. Why don't you drop it?" He gestured around them at the empty space and said, "No need for it here."

Bella shook her head. "I can't," she said. "Edward told me not to. He said not to drop it again until I was safe at home with the family."

BANG BANG BANG

* * *

**A/N: **A little heads up...I'll be going on vacation for a while. I'll send out a chapter on Friday, instead of Saturday, but after that...I can't guarantee anything until I get back home on February 23. I'm not sure if there will be wifi where we're going, and there may be a family revolt if I say, "Oh, wait, can we pull in here just for a minute so I can upload a chapter?". In fact, I KNOW there would be a revolt. Same goes for review replies....they'll be on hold, too. This is my chance to prove to my whole family that I do NOT have an FF addiction problem, so I need to make the most of it. I failed miserably last summer on vacation when my husband found me locked in the bathroom reading "Love Will Keep Us There"! And if I should die falling off a ski lift, my Beta, JaspersDestiny, has permission to release the rest of the chapters (yeah, because I'm morbid like that...).

I'd like to say "thank you" to **TwiCarol **over at **Jasper's Naughty Girls** for her rec'ing my story. What a surprise to be reading along and see my name! Thank you!

**IdreamofEddy** is hosting a contest: **The End Is Only The Beginning: A New Moon Contest. **The challenge: Write a one-shot based off of the scene in Chapter 3 of New Moon when Edward leaves Bella. There's a link to it on the "Altered Lions and Sacrificial Lambs" website, and it is located as an author on Fan Fiction. So come on, go check out the rules and write up a submission - because come on, that has got to be the point in the storyline where we ALL said, "If that had been ME, things would have been different!" So tell us, how would it be different?


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: SM owns it.

Chapter 15

BANG BANG BANG

Jasper sighed. No luck for them, indeed. "Bella, why don't you finish telling me what happened to you and Edward, okay? Can you do that?"

"I guess so. I wish those damn things would go away," she said, glaring in the direction of the door the werewolves were banging on. Once again, she scooted away from Jasper and turned to face him. He sighed, disappointed. He would have liked to continue fiddling with her hair while she talked. It made hearing what she had to say easier. Evidently, it didn't make the saying of it easier for her, though.

"As long as they're all out there fighting and banging on the door, I'm happy to be right here," Jasper told her, smiling a little. "Story, Bella?" he asked gently, squeezing her hands, which he once again held.

"Yeah. Well, Edward wanted to leave quickly, and get back to the hotel and get out of town. We didn't stay with the Volturi, you know? Carlisle had made reservations in town - he just thought it would be better for me, in case they were going to be feeding during our visit. We were heading back to the hotel when Edward said we were in danger...he said that something had changed..."

_"What changed?" Bella asked him._

_"I'm not sure, but something must have. Even after Carlisle missed the flight, that last time we talked to her, Alice still saw us being allowed to leave in peace..."_

_"These men are with the Volturi?" she whispered, her voice rising a bit._

_"Shhh...I don't know. I can't tell. They aren't thinking about that – they're being very shifty with their thoughts. Whoever sent them must have informed them of my ability. We need to hurry – come on. We can steal a car closer to the city gates. They don't know we're here yet." He started pulling her along with him, down the alley and out onto another street, heading to the main gate of the city._

_"I must tell you, Bella," he whispered as they hurried along, trying not to move too quickly and draw attention to themselves - there were still a few humans out at this time of night. "Back at the castle, something was off with all three of them. It was different than when we were here before. There was just a different feel to all of their thoughts. Marcus...Marcus spends most of his time thinking of Didyme..."_

_"Didyme?"_

_"His wife. His mate - who happened to be Aro's sister. She died a long, long time ago – longer ago than you can imagine, probably. He's been alone ever since, brokenhearted."_

_"That's so sad!" Bella exclaimed. "So, he just...thinks about her? All the time?"_

_"Yes, it is. You're right. And, yes, she takes up most of his thoughts. But tonight...tonight I caught something else... It came and went so quickly that I almost didn't notice. I WOULDN'T have noticed, but for the fact that I was listening so hard to all three of them, looking for hints. Quick, in here!" Edward dragged her into an open doorway, leading to a pub. "Through the back – look casual," he told her, leading her through the small crowd of humans._

_"Twice while we were in there tonight, he thought 'the fool thought he could lie to me, and I would never find out?' He was thinking he'd discovered who had killed his mate."_

_Bella gasped. "So he never knew before now? Who was it?"_

_Edward paused at the back door, which led to another alley. Seeing nobody around, he gestured to the wall, indicating he wanted Bella to climb it. She did, quickly reaching the flat roof, Edward right behind her._

_"He never thought of a name or a face. It was like he was trying not to think of it at all. And, of course, my ancient Sumerian is rusty – in fact, it's pretty much non-existent. So I may be a little off on the exact interpretation of it, but the general idea was definitely there."_

_"Sumerian?"_

_"Marcus is very old, Bella. They are ALL very old. And they find it...amusing...to think in their native tongues when I am around. Of course, they slip up quite a bit – it's a skill that needs constant practice, controlling one's thoughts. And few vampires outside of the Cullens have any use for a skill like that – one can hide from my skill, to an extent, but there's no hiding one's thoughts from Aro - no matter what language you're thinking in - except for you. And apparently me, when I'm with you. It seems a lot of my thoughts were quite fuzzy this time, and some were totally unreadable. Aro was NOT pleased with THAT discovery." He smiled slightly, and she laughed a little, ignoring the fact that they appeared to be hiding on a rooftop. "Were you even aware that you were projecting your shield over me?"_

_Bella shook her head._

_"I didn't think so. Anyway, it appears that Marcus may have discovered the identity of his mate's murderer."_

_"Why would this affect us?" she asked._

_"I have no idea. I don't know that it does. I do know that it was not something he knew the last time we were here. And also, this time, Caius was MUCH more disgusted with Aro's intent to let us go. Did you see that woman standing over by the statue of the Roman goddess?"_

_"Umm...no. Most of them had their hoods up, Edward."_

_"Yes, well, Caius kept thinking of her. He'd asked her to be there to DO something. What, I couldn't tell. But he was not happy about whatever was, or wasn't, happening. I got the distinct impression that whatever he was expecting, he didn't get it. And he sure as hell didn't expect to see us walk out of there. That's what really tipped me off that something was wrong."  
__  
"What about Aro? Isn't he in charge? He said we could go!" She was starting to feel panicked again. Edward was nervous. He stopped talking every few seconds, and she could tell he was listening with his mind, sifting through all the thoughts around them, down on the streets below - looking for signs of pursuit. "I mean, you make it sound like they're all doing stuff behind his back. How is that even possible? All he has to do is TOUCH them!"_

_Edward sighed. "It sounds so simple, Bella, but you don't have a good concept of the eternity that stretches out in front of you now. I don't even have a good concept of it. These men have been around for THOUSANDS of years. They have been TOGETHER for thousands of years. You see activity all around them when we go there, but I can assure you that that is the exception, not the rule. We're the most excitement they've seen in a long time. I wouldn't be surprised if YEARS could go by without Aro touching either of his brothers to read their thoughts, or without them speaking to each other. Time, for a vampire, is a very different thing. We Cullens are tied to the human world so much, and so we still think of time like humans do. But it is different for others of our kind. So, it is entirely possible that one or both of the brothers are off doing their own thing on the side. I imagine that whatever it is either of them are up to, it is something that would not bother Aro too much were he to find out. And Caius is the one I'm really concerned about. I think HE is...shit."_

_Edward grabbed her arm and yanked her to him. "Across the roof. NOW!" He pulled her behind him, running along the roof, then letting her go at the last second and leaping to the next building. Without a second thought, she followed him across the rooftops, all the way to the outer wall, down the outside of the wall, and onto the roadway._

_"We're not stealing a car?" she asked, chasing him through the fields at full speed now._

_"It's too late," he said, agony in his voice. "There are too many of them. We don't have time to stop. Our only hope now is to outrun them - my natural speed, and your newborn strength. It's our only hope. If we can make it to the next town, away from Volterra, and stay in public, they won't attack and we'll be safe. I didn't hear them in time, Bella. Oh, God, I'm so sorry. Run, beloved, run!"_

_They ran through the fields. Edward no longer spoke to her. He ran slightly behind her, encouraging her every so often with touches to her back, the only indication he was still there. Every so often he would indicate with a slight pressure if he wanted her to change direction. She assumed that he knew where they were going. Suddenly, though, he grabbed her arm and stopped her, pulling her close to him._

_"What?" she started to ask, but he stopped her with a kiss. It was a desperate kiss, and Bella recognized it for what it was. A last kiss._

_"I'm so sorry, love," he whispered against her lips. "I love you. Always remember I love you. Please, promise me you won't forget. Please. Promise me."_

_"I love you, too, Edward. I promise I won't forget."_

_"Promise me you'll get home, home to our family. Somehow. No matter how long it takes."_

_She nodded frantically, and he kissed her again._

_"And promise me, Bella, keep your shield up. No matter what happens, keep your shield up. You HAVE to keep your shield up. Until you're safe. Safe with the family again. Understand?"_

_Again she nodded, and he kissed her once more._

_Suddenly two forms emerged from the darkness, running directly at them, lightening fast. They tackled Bella to the ground, quickly pulling a bag over her head and cinching it tight. She howled in fury, struggling in the double grip on her, her teeth shredding the sack on her head where they could come in contact with it. She managed to swing her head around and landed a bite on SOMETHING through the bag, and got a heavy fist to her head for her troubles, stunning her for a moment. A third set of hands grabbed and restrained her flailing feet. Her newborn strength was no good against the three of them. All around her she could hear growling and thrashing, and the metallic screech of vampire flesh being torn._

_"EDWARD!!!!!!!!!" she howled._

_"Bella!" he screamed back. "I love you! Don't ever forget! Remember your promise!"_

_She couldn't stand hearing the sounds coming from the direction of Edward's voice, and she started screaming louder to try and drown them out. Then the smell of smoke hit her nostrils, the sickly sweet scent of ignited venom. She fought even harder now, until suddenly she felt an excruciatingly painful bite where her shoulder met her neck. It felt like they were trying to take her entire throat out in one bite, and she stilled instantly, knowing she was close to dying._

_She wanted to die._

_But in that split second, she discovered she wanted something else even more._

Silence filled the room around them, the banging and growling forgotten in the background. She found herself holding one hand protectively over the scar on her shoulder, the other wrapped around her torso.

Jasper controlled the rage building inside of him as he processed her story. Suddenly he leaned forward, his hand out. Bella cringed backward.

"Easy, Bella," he said softly. "Just let me see. Can I see?"

She nodded slowly and moved her hand aside. Slowly and easily, he leaned closer to her and brushed her matted hair back, then pulled the collar of her shirt down. He'd missed it earlier, hidden as it was under the dirt and her matted hair. On her shoulder, on the opposite side of where he'd been working on her hair earlier, where it curved to join her neck, was the scar of a large bite mark. He recognized it easily. He'd both given and received hundreds of similar scars in his time. It was the perfect spot for a restraining bite, when you didn't want to kill immediately - hold their arms down from behind and latch on tight. When you bit them there, even the youngest newborn figured out pretty quickly the head was coming off if they struggled any further. It infuriated him to see it on her, and it turned his stomach when he remembered the sorts of things that often followed.

He touched it softly, tracing it, and she flinched back again and whimpered, turning her head and refusing to meet his eyes.

"Did they..." Jasper's voice cracked. "Did they rape you?" Hating the question, he did not know why he asked it, out of all the things he needed to ask. But, he needed to know.

"No. No, they didn't." Just being able to say that seemed to relax her a little bit, like being able to think that things COULD have been worse somehow made it easier to talk about the bad. "The woman…the woman stopped them. They were going to. They were…well, they were going to. They were laughing and saying how much better I'd like some real men - that I'd be glad Edward was dead once they'd showed me what they could do. Then one of them - a woman - said they couldn't do that. She said they'd be in trouble if I was damaged like that."

Like that. Implying other things were alright - other damage would be allowed, just not that. Anger surged through him stronger.

"Who were they? Did you recognize any of their voices, any of their scents?" Jasper asked. He maintained his position, leaning towards her still, but dropping his hand, hoping she'd come back towards him.

"The bag was soaked in something. I couldn't smell anything but that. I didn't recognize their voices, either."

Shit. That was no help.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

Shit. Jasper wanted nothing more than to punch something. Break something. But he didn't dare twitch. Bella was talking, and he needed her to finish. To tell him everything she possibly could about what happened to her. Shit. Then he could tell her the rest of his story.

Bella was watching him carefully, worry in her own eyes. "What's wrong, Jasper?"

"Nothing. It's those damn werewolves. Sorry. What happened next?"

Bella looked at him for a moment, and he got the distinct impression that she didn't believe him at all. But she started talking again, her voice dropping to a whisper.

"They carried me. The one let go of my neck, but it was still the three of them holding me. They took me to a car, and we drove for a long time."

Jasper nodded. So far it just confirmed what Carlisle had discovered.

"We drove for a long time," she repeated. "Then they dragged me out of the car. There were still three of them holding on to me. I was still struggling, and I was so scared. I couldn't see anything, and I couldn't smell anything but whatever they had soaked that damn sack in, and I knew Edward was dead, and I just wanted to KILL THEM ALL!" Her voice had been rising steadily, and the last part she screamed. She wrenched free of Jasper, jumping up.

He was instantly up and beside her, getting ready to grab her. But he didn't, not yet. He waited to see what she would do. After hearing her story, he hated the thought of restraining her. She didn't look like she was going to run, and now that he was ready for it, he knew he'd catch her. For a moment, after she'd screamed, the werewolves had fallen silent, but now they resumed their attempts to get inside, sounding a bit more vigorous, like they could smell blood.

She didn't run. She took two steps to the wall behind him and punched it, burying her arm up to the elbow in the cement like she was cutting through butter.

Jasper grabbed her shoulders – gently – and carefully pulled her arm out of the wall. "No more of that," he said softly, "or they'll be coming in that way, sweetheart."

She dropped her arms to her sides and hung her head down. He swung her around to face him and pulled her closer, his arms encircling her and holding her – not too tight, but tight enough that he hoped maybe she would feel safe.

"What happened next, Bella?" he asked quietly. He hated pushing her. Hated it. But he had to know. He told himself it was for tactical purposes because they were under attack – and not just by the animals currently still snarling at their door. But part of his mind wondered if that was really true, or if he was asking for more selfish, personal reasons.

He could imagine what happened to her next. Several possible scenarios presented themselves to his mind. He was, after all, an expert in this area - Subjugating Newborn Vampires. He could have written the fucking instruction manual. "Did they hurt you?"

Stupid question. Of course they'd hurt her. You didn't get anything useful from newborns without using pain. A better question would have been, "How did they hurt you?" And did that really matter? Did he really NEED the details? Probably. Yes. So he'd know what to do to them when the time came.

"I don't want to talk about it anymore, Jasper," she whispered.

"We need to, Bella. You need to tell me."

"Why? Why does it even matter anymore? Can't you just take me home now?"

It matters, he thought. It matters a lot.

"It matters, Bella, because we're under attack. Anything you can tell me could help us."

She looked up at him, over to the hatch, and back up at him again, clearly confused. "Jasper. I don't see how what happened to me has anything to do with those things trying to get in here with us."

Jasper sighed. He'd hoped to just...gloss over this part of the story - maybe avoid it all together until he got her home. After all, she might not be willing to go home with him if she thought it wasn't any safer than running around Siberia with werewolves hot on her tail.

"Not here, Bella. At home. The family. There have been other...incidents...since Edward was killed and you were stolen. We think they're all tied together, but we have no way of proving it. No way to prove that the Volturi are behind any of it – even though we KNOW they are. Who else would it be? Not that it would matter if we COULD prove it – it's not like there's anywhere for us to lodge a complaint, or ask for help." He sighed. They were definitely in an untenable position.

"Incidents? What sort of incidents? Were you hurt? Was anybody else hurt?" She started sounding panicked again, and began to shake.

"Shhh. No, nobody has been hurt. At least, not as of the last time I spoke to Carlisle. Not physically, anyway."

"What does that mean, Jasper? Not physically?"

Jasper took a deep, unnecessary breath. "A woman came to Alaska. She's with the Volturi Guard. She came to Alaska, Bella, right before Alice and I were getting ready to leave to come get you."

"Alice was going to come with you? I don't understand. What happened?"

"This woman – her name is Chelsea - was waiting for us on the dock. She touched us - touched me, touched Alice. She has a power, Bella. The power to break bonds. Coven bonds. Family bonds. Love, loyalty, family. She can break them, and she can create them. She...broke...Alice and me. She broke our bond. Our mating. She just ended it. A single touch from her, and it was as if it had never been." He looked at her, waiting for understanding to set in.

It was slow in coming, but it finally did. "Oh, my God," she finally said, soft enough so that he could barely hear her. "Why would she do that? Why would THEY do that? Why did they kill Edward if they could have just...manipulated us like that?"

He shook his head. "No idea. We have no idea why she did it to Alice and me. Carlisle and Eleazar think we're being targeted because we are a threat. We've become too big - too big, too powerful to meet head on. So...break us up. Take out the more powerful ones, causing more damage before they move in for the final blow. Not long after I left, Demetri and Jane paid a visit to the family."

"Wait a minute – back up a minute. I don't understand. You and Alice? How can it just be over? How can you be so CALM about it. I lost my mate, and I lost my freakin' mind. You lose yours, and you stand there calm as...well, you don't seem like you care at all."

Jasper shrugged and sighed. "Bella, look, I know it's hard to understand. I don't even understand it myself. I didn't have TIME to figure it out. I HAD to get on that boat right after it happened. I only even KNOW what happened because Carlisle talked to Eleazar, who knows of this Chelsea and her talent, and her use in the guard. All I know is, I don't feel anything..."

"Shhhh," Bella shushed him. "Listen!"

Nothing. He heard nothing. The banging had stopped.

"What should we do?" she asked.

"Wait. Wait a little bit. Let's wait and see. I think it has been two days since we first heard the howling. I'd like to wait a bit longer, just to be sure. Carlisle said two to three days..."

"Okay," she whimpered. She didn't speak again, but she was stroking her throat and looking distressed, her eyes completely black now. Jasper decided not to question her anymore. She'd remained calm during their conversation, but he just didn't want to push his luck - not when they were so close to getting out. He'd gotten Bella. Now he just had to get them out of here and get her home.

* * *

A/N: I'm off on vacation. I'll be back after the 23rd! Thanks for the reviews this week, which I haven't had time to answer, and any coming up that I won't be able to...I'll try when I get back, I promise.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: **I'm back! SM owns them, I play with them, and JaspersDestiny holds my hand for the tough parts.

Chapter 16

"Jasper?"

"Yes, Bella?"

"Do you have a plan?"

"I do. I have a Plan 'B' and a Plan 'C'."

"Is it the same plan 'B' from before?"

"Yes."

"So...what is Plan 'C' – in case running doesn't work?"

"Well, Plan 'C' is hiding in a hole..."

"That's what we're doing now," Bella pointed out

"And it's worked well so far, hasn't it? We're still alive, and in one piece, and dog-drool free."

Bella giggled, and it made Jasper feel good that he could make her laugh, even in the midst of their dire situation.

"Whatever happened to Plan 'A'?" she asked him, her giggles dying down.

"Well, that would be the 'steal a boat and go home' plan, which I don't think is going to happen..."

"No, I don't think so either," she said. "I didn't see any boats out there...and anyways, you promised to go back with me...so, it's going to be Plan 'B' again?"

She still wanted to go back west? Jasper sighed. He thought they'd straightened that out, and that she wanted to go home. "Looks like it."

"Which way do we run?"

"West," he said, without a second's thought. It would be easier all the way around. He KNEW there were more wolves to the east, he just needed to totally write off going home that way. She wanted to go west, back towards Europe anyways, so it would make it easier to just head that way. He'd just deal with the other issues of going in that direction later. He didn't bother telling her that in addition to the things he'd pulled out earlier to show her from the backpack, he also had passports and IDs for the both of them, so that if they so chose, they could travel amongst the humans – a necessity once they reached Europe and needed to fly home. The light stick was still giving off a faint glow, probably only noticeable to their vampire sight, so he broke another one. They needed to be able to see better for what was coming next.

"Good," she said, nodding. "So, we're going now?"

He nodded. "Now we go. They've stopped their banging, for some reason. We've been down here for about two days. It's time to go. And I'd rather NOT go out the front door, if possible."

He zipped the backpack up and put it back on, stood up, and grabbed up the stick from where he'd tossed it on the ground. "Now we look for the BACK door." He held his hand out to her, not sure if she'd accept it or not. Suddenly, though, she broke into a grin and jumped up, ignoring his hand.

Really looking around for the first time, she took in their surroundings with interest. "Where ARE we, Jasper?" she whispered.

"Missile silo," he answered shortly, upset because she hadn't accepted his help up, and more upset with himself for BEING upset. He walked across the room towards an opening in the floor on the opposite side of the room that the hatch was on. A ladder led down into the darkness.

"MISSILE SILO?" she whisper-shouted. "As in, NUCLEAR missile?"

"As in, yes."

"Where is it?" she asked frantically, looking around with fear in her eyes, like she expected a nuclear explosion at any moment.

"They're gone, Bella. Decommissioned," he told her, smiling. _Or sold to some third world country,_ he thought silently to himself. "These places are all over Siberia – just like in America."

"We have empty silos in America?" she asked, turning to look at him in surprise.

He sighed. "Weren't you paying attention in school, Bella?"

"Well, excuse ME!" she said, huffing. "I've only been ONCE, you know. And you KNOW I wasn't paying much attention those last couple of years!"

"Yeah, that's actually come up before. Now, we came in through the front, but there should be some type of service hatch on the opposite side of the tunnels where they would have brought the missiles in." He led her down the ladder and, sure enough, a couple of minutes later they were walking down a partially collapsed tunnel that led further into the mountainside, following huge metal rails set into the floor.

"How did you know this was here?" she asked, impressed.

"The tunnel? Or the whole installation?" he asked, glancing over at her where she walked next to him. She'd grabbed his hand when they'd entered the tunnel and hadn't let it go. He wasn't sure why – if she needed the extra comfort, or if it was out of habit. He wasn't about to complain, though. It made HIM feel better.

"Either. Both."

He tapped his head. "Military, remember, Bella? All things military eventually come to rest somewhere up here in my vampire brain."

She snorted. "Whatever. Well, I'm glad it did. But I'll be even more glad when we are outside. I'm getting a little claustrophobic."

They both seemed to notice the change in the lighting at the same time and stopped walking. Ahead of them, the tunnel had collapsed, and real light filtered in from the top.

"Why didn't they come in this way?" Bella asked, whispering again.

"It must have been far enough away that our scent didn't leak out," Jasper whispered back. "We're very lucky...if they'd been in a position to be thinking rationally, one of them might have realized, or known, about the missile entrance. Still, we must be VERY careful now."

She nodded, and together they crept forward.

Climbing up the rubble, Jasper cleared more of it out of the way, creating a hole big enough for them to crawl through. They emerged into twilight, facing southward, away from the building where they'd been hidden, and the sun was far to the southwest, setting over the mountains. And that was where their luck ran out.

As they started to run away from the installation, heading in a southwest direction further into the hills, they immediately found themselves surrounded by the slinking forms of werewolves. Jasper halted, yanking Bella to a halt beside him.

"Shit," she whispered.

There were six of the creatures, slathering and growling at them, circling them. They were not nearly as big as the monstrous shapeshifters from La Push, but they were larger than normal wolves. There was no break in the circle, and Jasper knew running was useless anyway - at least to begin with. Six...he had no idea how to fight them. Did they work as a pack normally? Or was this an unusual situation for them? Could he use their lack of skill in cooperating with each other against them? Was their bite poisonous? Was HIS bite poisonous to THEM? There was too much he didn't know. Dammit, the only thing he DID know was that they were in trouble.

"Okay, Bella, we're going to go with plan 'D'," he told her.

"Plan 'D'?" she whimpered to him.

"I'm going to have to fight them, Bella. I figure I can get three, maybe four of them – that'll make a hole for you, and you run like hell, understand?"

"That's stupid, Jasper. I already told you that they run..."

There was no more time for discussion, planning, or arguing, for the beasts attacked.

The next few minutes were a blur of fur, fangs, and teeth. Jasper slid without thought into battle mode, his instincts and training taking over from conscious thought. He felt bites on his arms and his legs, but he was able to ignore the stinging fire of them. He vaguely registered the fact that the creatures tasted disgusting, as he bit through fur and drew blood. He felt the satisfying crack of first a neck, and then a back, as he was able to grab hold of two of them and twist, flipping out of the way as he did so.

Then he heard the screaming. Bella, screaming. In pain.

"Bella!" he yelled, coming out of his battle frenzy, looking around himself in terror. Four of the creatures lay dead or dying at his feet, but the other two...were on top of Bella. They'd dragged her down, and all he could see was one leg - but it was still moving. In an instant, he was on top of them, pulling them off of her, snapping necks as he yanked them off.

And then it was over. All six lay motionless on the ground. But, so did Bella. He hesitated briefly, but knew he had to finish off the enemy first. Maybe he'd watched too much television, but for lack of a better idea, he ripped all their heads off, just to be safe. None of the parts were twitching or trying to put themselves back together, so he took that as a good sign. That took only a moment, though, and then he was back at Bella's side.

"Oh, God, no," Jasper whimpered, dropping to his knees on the ground next to her. She'd curled into a fetal position, her head tucked down and her arms wrapped around her head to protect it from further attack after he'd pulled the things off of her. "Bella. Bella..." he said, gently shaking her a little.

"Jasper," she whimpered.

He rested his forehead on her exposed side for a moment. He felt her venom, wet on his face, leaking from her from several bites. Thank all the gods, she was still with him.

"Bella. Bella. Bella," he repeated her name, whispering it over and over. He felt her arm come down and her hand pat his head awkwardly. He looked up at her face, and found her looking back at him. "Are you alright?" he asked, feeling foolish as soon as the words were out of his mouth.

"No," she whispered. "I don't think I am..."

"Come on," he said, picking her up in his arms, ignoring the pain of his own wounds. "Let's get out of here..."

He started running northwest, down out of the hills and back out onto the flat tundra. He couldn't run at full speed, for his own wounds were bothering him. He was more than a little concerned. If they'd been bites from other vampires, they would have been healed already. But he could still feel his venom leaking out and running down his skin from his wounds, and he could feel Bella's leaking out still, as well, her venom trickling over his arms and mingling with his own, burning him where it landed in his own wounds. He wanted to put as much distance between them and the site of the fight as possible. He didn't know if there had only been six of the creatures in total, since there had definitely been at least eight outside the door, but he didn't want to take any chances. He also didn't know if they were really dead. He'd decapitated all of them before he'd taken off with Bella. He had to hope that would mean they were dead – since they WERE living, breathing creatures, unlike vampires. He'd thrown the heads as far away as possible after burning them proved next to impossible – unlike vampire venom, werewolf blood did not appear to be flammable.

So he ran, blindly heading northwest and trying not to think about the pain all over his body, or the pain Bella must be in. She seemed to be drifting in and out of consciousness...if that was even possible for a vampire...and as she did so, her shield would briefly drop and Jasper would get hit by a wave of emotions from her. It was all pain and fear, and he did his best to try and calm her, hoping that the hole in her shield was two-way and he was doing some good. It was fully dark when he finally decided to stop. He'd slogged through several smaller creeks and streams, but they'd come to the edge of a larger river, and he'd had enough. The pain beginning to move in his bites was almost unbearable, and he could not imagine how Bella must feel, as the damage to her body was considerably worse. He set her on the ground gently, and dropped down beside her. He really needed to get them something to drink, but he didn't want to leave her alone either. He'd tend to their wounds first, then think about hunting.

Her clothes, which had been in horrible shape when he'd first found her four days ago, were nothing but tatters hanging off her body now. He stripped the remains of her shirt off. Taking it over to the water, he tore it into smaller pieces and wet them down. Returning to her, he carefully began cleaning her off. After his second trip to the river to rinse the fabric out, he realized it would be easier if he just stripped them both and carried them out into the current. Soon enough, the moving water had them both cleaner than he could have done himself. Bella had not moved during the whole process, and he was beginning to really worry. She couldn't be dead – she was ALREADY dead. Vampires did not...cease to exist...unless they were burned. But, Carlisle had said that werewolves could be deadly. Was Bella...gone?

But, no, that was impossible. She might not have a pulse for him to check, or breath coming from her lungs, but she did still have her emotions, and they still leaked out periodically. Her pain and fear were a beacon, reassuring him of her continued existence. Once back on the river bank, he carefully checked her wounds over.

She had quite a few. There were bite marks on all of her extremities, and two really nasty ones on her neck. One of them covered the bite mark from Edward from her change, and it saddened Jasper to see it obliterated like that. She had been so proud of that mark from her mate. Now it was a mangled mess.

There were also claw marks raking down both sides of her torso and down her back. She'd been face down when he'd pulled them off of her, so most of the damage was on her back, leaving her face, stomach and chest wound-free. Part of him, a part he was not willing to acknowledge right then, was glad of that, and he supposed she would be, too, eventually. All of the wounds, though, continued to leak, seemingly refusing to seal up.

Looking at them, he found himself leaning in closer, instinct taking over, causing him to lean in closer yet, and cautiously he licked one of the wounds on her neck. Mingled with the taste of her venom was a rank, offensive taste that made him curl his upper lip in disgust. It was poison - poison from the werewolf's bite. He quickly spit it out on the ground, trying to clear the taste from his mouth. It had to be that which was preventing their wounds from healing. It was very faint, and he thought most of it had been washed away by the river, but still, it was there, and clearly causing a problem. He licked the wound again, forcing some of his own venom into the wound. By the fourth lick, all he could taste was her own venom, mingling with his own. He sat back on his heels to survey his handy work.

Sure enough, the wound started to close, and he nodded in satisfaction. He quickly moved to the other wound on her neck, repeating the treatment. She moaned softly now as he licked her, and he could feel her relief as the wounds began to seal themselves. Clearly, what he was doing was helping. He could feel her emotions a little bit, and he wondered if she was allowing it on purpose, or if it was happening because she was so wounded.

He had seen others, during his time with Maria, do the same thing - mates helping each other heal after battles. He'd never had anyone to share this ritual with, though. There had only been the one battle he and Alice had fought in together - the battle with the newborns several years ago in Forks - and neither one of them had been wounded in that. In fact, when he thought about it for a moment, he could not imagine Alice's reaction if he had ever tried to lick her like this. She could fight like a demon – that battle had proven that. And she was grace and magic to watch on the hunt. But he just couldn't imagine her ever letting him do this for her. It was...animalistic - more so, for some reason, than the other aspects of their existence. He shook his head. The need had never arisen while he and Alice had been together. But Bella was here, with him now, and she clearly needed it.

He ignored the persistent pain coming from his own wounds and continued to clean and seal Bella's. He was pleased to observe that while the poison evidently prevented the bites from sealing, once it was removed, the wounds closed quite nicely. They were scarring, though, no doubt because of the addition of his own venom. This angered him, but the scars were much fainter than those left by other vampire bites. Much less noticeable than his own collection. Her back would be a nightmare of criss-crossed gashes left by claws and bite marks, and he was glad she would not have to see that, no matter how faint they were.

It took him a while, but finally she was healed. She'd opened her eyes at some point in the process, and he'd known she was fully conscious again - if that was the right word to use – for her shield had gone up again. She'd said nothing, though, instead silently watching him work on her skin, her head turned so she could see him a little better, her eyes following him from mark to mark. He could see the tightness in her eyes lessen as he worked, so he knew the pain was becoming more bearable. When he'd rolled her over onto her healed back and begun to take care of the last of the bites on her arms, she'd begun to purr again, and then she'd reached over with her free hand to stroke his hair as he'd licked her.

When he was done, he carefully checked all her wounds over again, trying to handle her impersonally now that she was 'awake', afraid to embarrass her. They all seemed to be sealed nicely, the scars fading to faintness. He thought about re-dressing her, but then decided against it. He'd wash himself in the river, then check her wounds again, then they could get dressed and leave. "Stay here," he whispered, and she nodded. He went back into the river to rinse off once more, fully intending to hunt for them both when he was done. The ice cold water helped the pain in his own bites, and he thought that if he scrubbed them hard enough, they'd get clean enough to heal on their own.

When he emerged from the water, though, Bella was standing on the river bank waiting for him. He stood staring at her for a moment in silence. She finally grabbed his hand, pulling him back to where she'd lain earlier. Kneeling down, she pulled him down beside her, then pushed him back in the bracken. She looked in his eyes for a moment, not speaking, and he didn't speak either. Then she dipped her head to the uppermost bite mark on his shoulder and licked it. After the first lick, she looked up at him, seemingly wanting to judge his reaction. He had none, just watching her in silence. But with the second pass of her tongue - and venom - came relief from his pain, and he closed his eyes and sighed. Encouraged by this response, apparently, she quickly moved on to the next wound, and the next, Jasper relaxing more with each one she treated. He had not realized before how much pain he had been in. As she sealed the bite marks, she began to purr again, and before too long, his own sounds joined hers.

He did not have nearly the amount of damage she had had, and it did not take nearly as long for her as it had for him. When she finished sealing the last bite, down on his ankle, she moved slowly back up his body, continuing to purr. And then she was there, leaning over him, their bodies stretched out together, her stone weight light as a feather on top of him. She stared into his eyes for a moment, and hers were dark with more than just thirst. Slowly, hesitantly, she leaned in closer and gently kissed him.

He felt something surge through him with the contact, and he leaned into the kiss. He felt her shield come partially down - only part way, he could tell, the feelings muted as if he was seeing them through gauze. The fear and sorrow were still there - he could feel them, ever-present, but they'd been pushed to the background, at least temporarily. For now, all that poured out of her were happiness and relief. And swirling around all those, almost too ephemeral for even him to catch, was a hint of something else. Something for him. He released her lips, regret filling him. When she tried to pull away from him, though, he tightened his hold, pulling her down again to hold her against him, sending her waves of reassurance that he hoped would be felt through the shield that had gone back up when the kiss ended.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: ** I want to say thank you to everybody that reviewed the last chapter. I had been very nervous about writing it, and worried about its reception (you wouldn't believe what poor JaspersDestiny had to go through with me). It seems to have been very well received, though. In fact, it may be responsible for a large group of women inflicting damage on themselves with the hope that a certain someone will come lick them, too.

I'd like to dedicate this chapter to Catonspeed. I know you said you wanted to have fictional frat children with him, but Emmett's wife is NOT somebody you'd want to mess with. Especially right now - she's not in a good mood. So you two would have to keep real quiet about it. She's already being difficult to work with.

And I know they belong to SM *sniff*.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch... (I always wanted to say that!):

Chapter 17

Alice was hunting with Rose - following Carlisle's 'nobody goes out alone' rule – when she had the first firm vision of Jasper and Bella.

And she wished instantly that she hadn't.

She silently cursed Carlisle for his rule. If she'd been alone, she could have had the vision in peace, had a melt down, calmed down, pretended it had never happened, and returned to the family looking almost normal. With her sister by her side witnessing her reaction, that was not an option.

She didn't know how to respond to what she was seeing. She wasn't even SURE about what she was seeing. She tried to process it, all the while Rosalie was standing next to her asking her what was wrong.

"I want to go back to the house," Alice finally whispered.

On the return trip, Alice tried to tell Rosalie what she'd seen. As soon as the house came into sight, Alice took off running, slamming the front door open and running up the stairs, ignoring Esme and Carlisle's inquiries and shutting her bedroom door, a signal to the family to leave her alone. Rose entered the house a few moments behind her, more than a little resentful that it had been left up to her to share Alice's vision with the family.

"What's wrong with Alice?" Esme asked, concern and fear in her voice. Rosalie made note of the fear and it made her sad. Fear was a part of their lives now. Well, there was nothing for them to fear from THIS vision.

"Alice had a vision of Bella and Jasper," she said with a sigh, sitting down on the couch.

Emmett was at her side instantly, eager to hear anything new about his brother and little sister. Esme and Carlisle came and sat down on the couch across from them. "And...? They're alright?" Esme prodded gently.

Rose hesitated. She'd like to think that her sister was going to owe her big time for this, but she knew she'd never collect on it. She couldn't imagine if SHE had to tell them this about HER mate. Well, ex-mate. Whatever. She supposed that made it somewhat better.

"Apparently," Rose said, and stopped again.

"Just spit it out, Rose!" Emmett said.

"Alice saw Jasper and Bella out on the tundra somewhere and apparently they were licking each other," she said, the words coming out almost too fast even for a vampire to understand. She stared at the wall behind Esme and Carlisle, refusing to make eye contact with any of them.

There was silence for a moment while the other three processed what she'd said.

"Well, THAT'S a sentence I never thought I'd hear come out of anyone's mouth!" Emmett finally said. Rose could tell by his voice that he was smirking. She dropped her eyes and turned to glare at him.

"You think that this is FUNNY?" she hissed.

"Well, I certainly think that that is STRANGE," he shot back. "Did Alice see WHY they were licking each other? I mean, was it an, 'I'm licking you because you taste so good!' kind of licking, 'cuz if that's it, it's kind of soon for Jasper, but hell, its been a year and a half for Bella, and people have NEEDS, Rose. Or, was it, well..." Emmett paused for a moment, obviously trying to think of what other kind of licking there might be, and finally gave up. "Or, was it some other kind of licking?"

"You can be so insensitive sometimes," Rose snarled at him.

"Emmett's got a point." Carlisle finally spoke.

"Again with the surprise," Emmett muttered.

"DID Alice say anything else about the...licking?" Carlisle asked Rosalie.

Rosalie sighed. "She said she thinks the vision is fairly close to real-time, based on the plants and such that she could see. She said it looked like they were wounded. There was a lot of venom on both of them. But, wouldn't it be a bit easier to wash it off, rather than lick it off? She DID say they were right next to a river."

Esme whimpered at the thought of her children being hurt any more.

"Not necessarily," Carlisle said thoughtfully. "Not if the wounds weren't healing properly, or there were too many of them at once. It's a fairly common technique, just not one we've ever had to employ, being a fairly peaceful coven. This might not be what it appears at first glance."

"I don't know which is worse – having them hurt, or having them fucking," Rose snapped.

"Rosalie, how can you say that?" Esme reprimanded her.

"Well, what about Alice?" Rose asked. "He could have some respect for her..."

"We have discussed this..." Carlisle began.

"I KNOW we have, Carlisle. You've explained it to us. Eleazar has explained it to us. But that doesn't change the fact that they were together for 60 years, and even if she doesn't FEEL anything for him anymore, seeing that had to, well, it had to do something! It's ME sitting down here telling you this, not her, in case you hadn't noticed."

"I DID notice that, Rosalie, but thank you for pointing it out."

Esme stood up. "Perhaps I should go speak to her." She looked at Carlisle for a moment, and he nodded.

"That would probably be a good idea."

"Do you want to come, Rose?" Esme asked, and Rosalie stood and followed her up the stairs.

Carlisle waited until they heard the bedroom door shut. "Why don't we go outside, Emmett?" he asked.

"Sure, sure," Emmett said, and he followed Carlisle outside.

"So," Emmett began when they were out of earshot of the house. "Do you really think that Jasper was just lickin' her wounds? Or do you think he was offering 'comfort and aide'?" He snickered at his perceived cleverness.

"Are we really having this conversation, Emmett?" Carlisle asked, his left hand itching to pinch the bridge of his nose. He forced himself not to, not wanting to be reminded any more of Edward at this moment.

"I'm just trying to have a discussion. You know, discuss Alice's vision, what it might mean, how it might affect us..."

"Really? Because it sounds an awful lot like you want to gossip about your sibling's POSSIBLE sexual activities."

"Well, there is that..." the big vampire admitted.

"Do you think I'm the one to be doing that with?" Carlisle asked, truly curious.

Emmett stopped walking and looked at him. "My choices for guy time are a little limited Carlisle," he said quietly. "I'm sorry if my topic choice is offensive to you."

Instantly, Carlisle felt guilty. Emmett was right. Emmett had always been the easiest of his three sons for Carlisle to get along with. Easygoing and cheerful. But of the three, he'd spent the least amount of time with Emmett. He'd literally created him at Rosalie's request – or demand - and the huge vampire had been hers ever since. They were both without male friendship now, and no doubt the pain he was feeling at the thought of an eternity of frat boy humor was nothing compared to what Emmett was feeling at the prospect of having no one but his 'father' to talk to.

He needed to put forth a little more effort, perhaps.

"Well," he began, then stopped, looking for the right words. Normally that wasn't a problem for him, but talking with Emmett put a new spin on everything.

Emmett cocked an eyebrow at him and waited expectantly.

Carlisle sighed and continued, "While it certainly looks suspicious, I would wager that..."

"Wager?" Emmett cut him off quickly. "You wanna bet on this? Five grand says they're banging each other..."

"I am NOT betting on this."

"You don't want to bet because you know I'm right, or you just don't want to bet at all?"

Eternity was going to be very long, indeed, Carlisle thought. "I don't wish to bet on this particular subject AT ALL."

"Alright then, fine," Emmett said, a bit sullenly. "Go on with what you were saying."

"I was TRYING to say that while it may look suspicious, I would wager that they are indeed trying to heal each other. Jasper would certainly be familiar with that, um, technique. The question is, where did they receive so many wounds to make it necessary to do something like that? I wouldn't think the tundra of Siberia would be overly populated with vampires."

"What about werewolves? We know there are werewolves there, and they've already run into them." Emmet asked quietly.

Carlisle looked at him and nodded slowly. "That is a much more likely scenario."

"See?" Emmett asked, clearly pleased with himself. "We CAN have an intelligent conversation."

"I never doubted it," Carlisle murmured. "What we need to be asking ourselves, Emmett, is why can Alice so rarely see them? And why she now, all of a sudden, has had a vision of them?"

"Because they decided to get it on," Emmett replied instantly. "Big decision there. That seems pretty obvious."

"Maybe. At first glance. But they're wounded – doesn't that seem like an odd time to 'get it on'?"

"Not to me. Seems like the best time."

Carlisle thought briefly about pointing out that _every time_ seemed like the best time to his son, but decided to bypass that comment. "Perhaps. But it is not a tactically sound decision, and Jasper is nothing if not tactically sound."

"Jasper is nothing if not a horn dog," Emmett muttered.

Choosing to ignore this, Carlisle continued, "If they were that wounded, there must have been a battle of some sort. If there was a battle, they clearly won, or they would not be taking the time to clean themselves up. Even wounded, Jasper would have them running if they'd lost. If they fought, and won, that would have required quite a bit of decision making on somebody's part – on Jasper's part, if not Bella's."

"Alright, I'll buy that," Emmett agreed, nodding his head.

"And the decisions should have triggered a vision. SOME sort of vision. Instead, all she sees is the aftermath."

"I'm with you so far."

"She hasn't been able to see Bella hardly at all, and not much more of Jasper. Originally, I thought it was because Bella was running mostly on instinct, and once he got there, Jasper was forced to follow suit. Then we get the werewolves thrown into the picture – which Alice definitely sees NOTHING of."

"Right."

"So, I thought it was just the werewolves blocking them. But now..."

"Now?"

"I still think that that is true, to some extent, but I'm wondering if it isn't Bella herself. Not her inability to make rational decisions, but her shielding."

"But, Alice could see Bella's future just fine when she left for Italy..." Emmett began.

"Yes, but powers can grow over time. And, sometimes trauma can cause them to strengthen, especially a defensive power like Bella's. So, it is possible that Bella is doing this."

"But, Jasper - Alice should still be able to see him..."

"Not if Bella is hiding him, too, now that he is with her. Not if her shield has gotten that strong. There's no way of knowing any of this, of course. It's pure speculation, of course, until they contact us."

"Why would she be getting glimpses of them, though? And why would it be of THIS, of all things?"

"Well, it's possible that Bella is letting her shield down a bit...maybe because she was physically wounded. Or, maybe because..." Carlisle stopped, knowing what he thought and hoping Emmett could follow his train of thought so he wouldn't have to say it out loud. His son's blank face stared back at him, so evidently he couldn't.

He sighed. "I would imagine, if Bella is shielding strong enough to block Alice, that she is blocking Jasper's ability, as well. So, it wouldn't be, um, all that odd, if she perhaps was dropping it a bit when they, well, were in an intimate situation. That is, IF I'm right."

Emmett's eyes got big. "So, you DO think they're bangin' each other!"

"Emmett, there are other types of intimacy besides sex. I do NOT think they are 'banging' each other. Helping heal each other's wounds like that would certainly entail an intimacy that would be anything but sexual."

"Whatever," Emmett muttered to himself. "But, not if you're doing it right."

"Come on," Carlisle sighed, deciding the conversation had gone about as far as he was willing to let it. "Let's go back to the house."

When they returned, Esme was waiting on the porch for them.

"What's wrong?" Carlisle was on the porch in an instant, taking her hands in his. "What's happened?"

"Alice has had another vision." Rosalie said before Esme could answer. She stepped out of the door and closed it behind her. She, too, crossed to her mate and grabbed his arm. "Come on, Emmett, I need to hunt." She headed back towards the forest, dragging Emmett after her.

Esme sighed, watching the two run into the woods. "It appears that whatever purpose the licking may have originally been intended for, it ended up being foreplay."

"I KNEW I should have forced you to take that bet!" Emmett hollered back over his shoulder at them as he disappeared into the trees with Rosalie.

Carlisle winced, although even he wasn't sure if it was at Emmett's comment or Esme's glare.

"Betting with Emmett, dear?" she asked.

"Not at all," Carlisle said, smiling at her and giving her a quick kiss. "Just bouncing ideas off him."

"And how did that go?"

"It was an interesting experience, to say the least. So, is Alice terribly upset?"

Esme laughed and Carlisle pulled back to look at her in surprise. "Not at all. She said it was just the initial shock of seeing them...together. No, she's mostly upset about how her visions are affecting us."

"Us?" Carlisle asked. "What do you mean?"

Esme looked over his shoulder to the woods where Rosalie and Emmett had disappeared. "Apparently some of us are having a difficult time accepting what happened to Alice and Jasper, and don't like the idea of any other...possibilities."

"I don't know," Carlisle said. "Emmett seemed pretty open to the concept when I was talking to him."

"I'm not talking about Emmett."

"I know you aren't." He sighed. Just one more thing to worry about. "Rosalie has never dealt well with change."


	18. Chapter 18

A/N You are all right. I am a big tease. Sometimes, foreplay leads to...nothing else. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. Sorry, folks. :)

SM owns these characters.

Chapter 18

The rising sun found them still tangled together, their naked bodies sparkling in its light.

"We need to hunt," he whispered into her hair. He didn't feel like moving at all, even though his throat was burning – and if his was, he knew hers must be even worse.

"Mmmhmmm," she muttered, not moving a muscle where she lay half on top of him.

"Bella." He tightened his arms around her. "We need to hunt, and we need to get the hell out of Dodge. It's dangerous to stay here – there might be more of those things." _We shouldn't have stayed here all night_, he didn't say. They shouldn't have, but right now he wouldn't mind staying right where he was, holding on to her, for as long as she'd let him. Eventually, he knew, she'd come to her senses and it would be over. Whatever 'it' was.

"Hmmmm..." she said, still not moving, but he could feel her lips move against his chest in what he knew to be a smile.

"Come on, baby," he whispered, sitting up and pulling her up with him. "We're going." He didn't know what to say about what had happened between them, and maybe more importantly, what had NOT happened, so he said nothing. _Typical guy_, he thought, disgusted with himself. But he had one thing most males didn't. He pushed his love, and acceptance, and friendship at her in hard, rough waves. He knew she felt it, even through her shield, because she smiled up at him and hugged him hard. He grinned back at her and stood up.

"Here," he said, handing her his shirt and her pants. She took them from him and began pulling them on. He pulled on his own pants and the back pack, and they stood there in the morning light looking at each other in silence for a moment.

"Jasper?" she finally asked, a grin tugging at the corner of her mouth

"Yes, Bella?"

"You look like shit."

"So do you, babe," he told her, and they both burst out laughing.

They did look horrible. The only article of clothing that had survived with some of its dignity intact were Jasper's pants, but that was only because his upper body – and his shirt – had taken most of the damage. The shirt now hung off of Bella's frame, torn and dirty, along with her own pants, which barely deserved the name.

"We could just go au natural," he told her, smiling and waiting to see her reaction.

She actually considered it for a moment, but then shook her head. "That would definitely attract attention."

He looked around them in disbelief. "From WHO?" he asked.

She shrugged. "I don't know. I'm not doing it, though. We'll find some place and steal some clothes. Besides, you'd look pretty silly with your bare, sparkling ass and that James Bond backpack, running across the tundra."

"Hey, don't diss the Bond Bag," he told her sternly.

"Why don't you just throw it away?" she asked him. "It's not like anything in it works..."

"It DOES work," he said, pulling the bag to him and opening it. "Besides which, it has our passports and money in it – something we WILL eventually need." He pulled a couple of cords with flat panels on the ends of them and waved them at her. "See? Solar chargers. As soon as we can stop for a while and let them do their job, we'll be back up and going."

"If we get a signal," she muttered. "Why can't you just, I don't know, strap those charger things onto the outside of the backpack? Then they can charge while we run."

Jasper stared at her for a moment. "Well, shit," he finally said. "Why didn't I think of that?"

Bella shrugged. "Maybe because they didn't have them back when you did most of your spy training or whatever you want to call it." She watched him attach the panels to the outside of the backpack and hook the cords to the phone and GPS still inside the bag. "Doesn't all that," she gestured at the technology he was handling, "seem a little odd? Considering what's happening to...us?"

He wasn't sure what exactly she was referring to - their situation with the werewolves, or their more intimate situation, or lack thereof. So, instead of replying, he just shrugged. She evidently did not expect much of an answer, and she did not pursue her question.

"Alright. Let's go. Southwest. And keep your nose open for breakfast."

"Keep my nose open?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

He shrugged again and grabbed her hand.

By noon they'd found a herd of reindeer. Jasper had left the Bond Bag - as Bella had continued to call it - in the brush to keep it safe while they'd hunted. In the end, she'd taken down three smaller reindeer, and he'd drained five. He couldn't ever remember drinking that much in one hunt, and it drove home to him once again what a dangerous situation they'd been in. He'd been fairly neat in his own feeding, as usual, but Bella was a mess. Seeing her come back to him when she was done, he sighed.

"What's wrong?" she asked, her defenses up.

"You're a mess," he told her. "Into the water with you."

She glared at him, but complied – in a way. Instead of going into a nearby stream, he watched in disbelief as she walked into the middle of the bog pond near where they'd left the back pack and lay down in it, almost fully submerging herself in the thick, brown water. When she stood up again, the blood was gone, but it had been replaced by a fine coating of peat moss over most of her body.

"Jesus, Bella, that's not any better!"

She glared at him harder and took off running. "Why don't you call ahead and get us a room at a spa, Mr. Fashion Police?" she called, looking back at him over her shoulder.

"Fashion Police, my ass," he muttered, heading after her and quickly catching up. He grabbed her hand and pulled her to a stop, and then grabbed her other hand so that she was forced to face him."Hey," he said softly, grabbing her chin and forcing her to look up at him. Her face was the only part of her not covered in wet peat moss. Before she could move away, he leaned over and placed a soft kiss on her lips. He was pleased that she did not pull back, and instead returned his kiss. "If I could, I would find you a spa and soak with you in a hot tub for a week, if that's what it took..." He looked over her face and was pleased to see that her eyes had lost a little of the red they'd had when he'd first seen her. They were turning a lovely shade of gold around the edges that he hadn't seen on her yet. When she'd left with Carlisle and Edward all those months ago, they'd still been the red of a newborn, disguised for traveling by brown contacts.

"What?" she asked him, when she decided he'd been staring too long.

"I was just thinking about how pretty your eyes are," he said, grinning at her.

Her face fell, and she looked away from him. "Are they..." she asked, hesitating, "are they still red?"

"Yes. Soon, though, we'll be able to get that spa room, Bella," he said, pulling her to him and gently stroking her still matted hair. "But, for now, perhaps we'd better think about finding some new clothes."

"Where are we going to buy clothes around here?" she asked him.

"Buy? I was thinking about stealing them... Where did you get the clothes YOU were wearing, Bella?" He knew they hadn't been hers – they were much too big for her.

"I took them from the hiker... He didn't need them anymore," she muttered.

"Well, I 'borrowed' mine, too. We'll find some more clothes when we get a chance. Let's keep moving."

They were moving quickly now, heading deeper into the mountains as they headed southwest. They started encountering more trees as they moved further south, the first of them barely deserving the name, but by sundown the valley they were traveling through was supporting some decent sized pines. Sometime after midnight, they stopped so Bella could feed again. She settled for a single reindeer this time, saying that it was all she needed. Jasper couldn't tell whether she was telling the truth or not, so he was forced to trust her. Once again, by the time it was over, she was covered with blood. The blood mixed with the dried peat moss from earlier that day to make a horrid sticky mess on her hands and arms.

"Bella. For the love of all that's holy, what is wrong with you?" Jasper asked, exasperated, when she returned to where he was sitting on a rock waiting for her. "Your eating habits make Emmett look like a...a...well, you make Emmett look good."

Her face fell. "I don't have much practice at this, you know," she snapped at him. "And I'm so damn thirsty, I just...I just get too excited. I'm sorry if it offends your sensibilities."

"God, Bella, I'm sorry."

She sat down on the rock next to him, but refused to look at him.

"Look, I'm just harassing you. I don't mean anything by it. Why don't we go for a swim? The river's deep enough here. We'll swim and rinse out the clothes again. And I need to check your wounds, too."

"Do you, now?" she asked, a sly tone to her voice. She watched him out of the corner of her eye, and he grinned at her.

"I do. It would only be right, don't you think? I couldn't, in good conscience, let them go without checking them."

"No, you shouldn't. That would be wrong. And I should probably check yours, too."

"Absolutely. And since you're covered in...stuff, we should wash off first."

In a flash, she was off the rock and in the water, going in fully dressed. Jasper found himself disappointed at that. Then he felt guilty. Then he felt stupid for feeling guilty. There was no reason to feel guilty. Edward was dead. Alice was...well, Alice was no longer of any concern in a situation like this. Then he was back to disappointed. He was so caught up in his own personal circle of angst that he didn't see the sodden mass of clothing coming at him until it hit him in the face.

While he'd been contemplating his own guilt, she'd stripped her shirt off and rinsed it out – and hit him in the face with it. He was back to feeling not so disappointed. Then guilty again.

_Jesus Christ, Whitlock_, he scolded himself. _Get a grip, man. It's just as well you can't feel her emotions - you're a regular roller coaster all by yourself._

"Since you're not going to join me, Jasper, make yourself useful and wring that out for me," she hollered at him from the water.

"I AM going to join you," he shouted back, standing up and dropping the shirt to the rock.

"Well, wring it out anyways, first," she said.

Grumbling to himself, he checked it over to see if it was, indeed, clean.

"It's as clean as it's going to get," she hollered at him again. "Just wring it out, already!"

That did it. He dropped her shirt, the Bond bag, and his own pants onto the rock and dove into the river. Within a second he was beside her, yanking her under the water.

She came up sputtering and glaring. "What was THAT for?" she growled at him. The water that was chest deep on him came up to her chin, and he found himself wishing they were in a shallower section of the river.

"You were nagging me, woman," he growled back.

"I was not!"

"You absolutely were. And you don't have nagging rights."

"Oh, don't I?"

"You don't."

"And how exactly does one GET nagging rights?" she asked, her tone softening as her eyes dropped to his lips.

"Oh, there are a variety of ways, I'm thinking." He took a step closer to her.

"Like what?" She stepped closer, too, narrowing the space between them to mere inches.

"Like..." he hesitated. They shouldn't be doing this.

He wanted to do this.

He needed to do this.

He couldn't do this.

"Like...washing all the crap off so I can check your wounds!" he shouted the last part and pulled her under the water again.

He was out of the water and back on their rock before she could retaliate. She dragged herself out after him a moment later, only to find him with his back to her, innocently wringing her shirt out - as she'd requested - and spreading it out on the rock to dry. He'd already pulled his own pants back on.

"Sort of useless spreading it out to dry since it's dark. And cold," she observed.

He shrugged, not turning around to look at her and refusing to point out that it had been her idea to do just that. "Oh, well. They can dry as we run. Come on, now, let me check your wounds. Do they hurt still?"

She sat down on the rock with her back to him. " A bit sore, maybe. It's odd...to feel them at all, for this long, you know? Other times, it didn't hurt nearly as long. But, I think they're doing okay. The ones I can see look alright."

He turned slowly and sat down behind her.

"Other times?" he asked quietly.

"Oh..." she said vaguely, waving her right hand, "you know, other bites. Like this one," her hand grazed the large bite on her shoulder that he'd seen earlier in the silo, and his hand reached out to gently touch it.

"Hmmmm. Well. Let me see now..." He began to examine the other bites and scratches on her back and arms. The waning moon still gave off plenty of light, more than enough for him to examine her. The wounds WERE completely closed up. The ones Bella said she could still feel slightly were the deeper bite marks. She was, as Jasper had thought she would be, very scarred.

"How bad is it?" she asked.

"'Bad' is such a subjective term, Bella," Jasper said, trying to be diplomatic.

"That bad, huh?"

"Well, you've got a ways to go before you're anywhere CLOSE to my collection," he said, trying to maintain a light tone

She sighed. "I don't really care what my back looks like, Jasper. I guess I just don't want to have everybody's pity when they see it, you know?"

"Well, look on the bright side, Bella. Vampires don't work like that, for the most part. The Cullens are the only ones that will come even close to feeling sorry for you. Everybody else will just stay the hell away from you if they see your scars. Besides, nobody's going to see much of anything unless you're running around without a shirt on. I'm not sure they'd be visible to humans at all, so you could probably still go to the beach."

She snorted. "Is the beach EVER on the Cullens' agenda?"

"Are you kidding? We LOVE the beach. Just not when humans are around!"

"So, it still doesn't really matter."

"Nope. Not really. Esme's going to be upset when she sees them, I'll warn you of that much. She'll probably cry. Well, you know, as much as she _can_ cry. Emmett will be pissed. Carlisle will be upset and blame himself for letting it happen to you. Alice will be right up there with him on that wagon. And, Rose? Well, who the hell knows what Rose will think."

Bella snorted again. "So, Rose hasn't changed from what I remember, huh?"

"Rosalie and change... NOT a good combination," Jasper said, smiling. "Nope, I bet everybody is just how you remember them." _A little more scared, a little more uncertain, a little more freaked out_, he added to himself. "Now, your back looks fine, can I check your legs?

She didn't answer for a moment. If he'd been human, he'd have been holding his breath. The remaining bite marks... Checking them had the possibility of leading to so much more if he didn't stay detached. He'd been able to be impartial when he'd treated them after the fight. Fear and pain had been his focus then, but now...he didn't want to be clinical. He didn't want to be detached. He wanted something he had no right to want.

Instead of answering, she turned around a little and scooted back a bit so she was seated perpendicular to him, and then she stretched her legs out so they were laying over his own.

"You're getting my pants wet!" he protested.

"So take them off," she told him, not looking at him.

That sounded like a good idea. A really, really 'good' bad idea. He ignored it and started looking at the bites on her legs - with her pants on. They had so many rips in them that there wasn't much need to remove them to examine her. He started at her ankles, carefully turning her legs as he worked his way up, and studiously ignored her partial nudity. Unfortunately, his brain might be ignoring it, but other parts of his body weren't. In fact, a certain part of his anatomy was cheering him on. He shifted himself _and_ her legs to try to disguise what was going on, hoping she wouldn't notice.

He glanced up to see her staring at him, and her sly look from earlier was back. His hands were on her knees, the bites on her thighs his next stop. She was leaning back on her hands now, and he thought the position displayed her breasts wonderfully.

His cock thought so, too, and no amount of shifting around was going to hide what was going on now. Well, he certainly wasn't ashamed of what he was feeling for her. He just didn't want to push Bella too far. And with her shield up, it wasn't easy for him to tell for sure what she was feeling.

She relaxed her legs and spread them a bit. "How are they looking?" she asked softly, and he realized he was still looking at her breasts. He looked up at her face again and found her grinning at him now.

He grinned back. Well, whatever she was thinking and feeling, she didn't LOOK like she was upset. "Your breasts or the bites?"

"Whichever," she shrugged, causing two of the items in question to bounce slightly in a way he found fascinating. Not huge, but so much larger than what he was used to. She bounced her legs a couple of times on his to get his attention. "The bites," she reminded him.

"Of course," he said, looking back at her legs. She twisted a bit to allow him to see the bites on the back of her left thigh, and as she did so, a mark on her left breast caught his attention and he froze. He reached up to trace it gently, and Bella sat up a little straighter, leaning into his touch, misinterpreting his actions. His hand dropped to her hip, pushing her pants down a bit, and traced more scarring there. Then they moved to her thighs, enlarging a tear in the leg of her pants to trace another scar there.

"Where'd you get these scars?" he demanded, making himself wince with the harshness in his voice. He'd noticed them earlier when he'd been sealing the wounds caused by the werewolves, but he had been too concerned about the immediate danger to think about past damage. And, to be honest, he had thought they were just some that had managed to heal on their own. Now that he was leisurely revisiting those areas, he realized he'd been very, very wrong. They were obviously not made by werewolves, but by another vampire. He kicked himself for not noticing it before.

"Um, weren't you THERE, Jasper?" she asked with a giggle. "You know, I think technically YOU are the one who caused the scars – didn't you say they scarred because of your venom in the wounds?" She reached down to pull his hand back to her breast.

"Bella," he said sharply, withdrawing his hand and looking at her. "This," he drew his finger gently across the crescent scar on the inside of her thigh, "and these," he outlined the the two on her other thigh, "are not from earlier today. They are bite marks. From a vampire. And they aren't alone." His eyes trailed up her body to the two on her hip and the one on her breast, in addition to the one on her shoulder. "You said you hadn't been raped," he said, speaking gently.

She looked at him, clearly puzzled. Then she looked down at her body, spreading her legs a bit and lifting the right one to try and get a closer look at what he was talking about. Under other circumstances, the position might have offered some interesting possibilities to Jasper, but right now the topic - and her reaction - had driven all thoughts of sex out of his head.

After studying the wounds on her legs for a moment, then the ones on her hip, she looked back at him. Fear had replaced the puzzled look. "I have no idea," she whispered. "I don't remember getting those. It must have happened when..." she stopped suddenly, and Jasper felt her shield slam down completely. All the feelings that she'd been allowing to leak out during their earlier activities were suddenly gone.

"When what, Bella? What did they DO to you?"

"They...they took me apart," she choked out, so low Jasper almost didn't hear her.


	19. Chapter 19

Short A/N note: SM owns all of it, and makes obscene amounts of money from it.

Chapter 19

"They took me apart."

Jasper stared at her. "What did you say?" he finally asked. He knew what she meant. He knew exactly what she meant. He'd done it himself, a lot, when he was with Maria. Hell, he'd considered – for a moment only – doing the same thing to Bella to get her home, after she'd bit him. But still...he couldn't imagine, didn't WANT to imagine, someone doing it to her. ACTUALLY doing it.

"Did I stutter, Jasper?" she asked, sounding annoyed. "They took me apart. Well, they took off my head. And put it in a box. I'm not sure what they did to the rest of my body – obviously." She looked at the scars on her thighs again, then at the ones on her hips, with clinical detachment. "Do you think they...you know? Um, raped me? Because that IS kinda gross."

Gross? Jasper found that a mild word for it.

"Do you think there's a name for that? I guess necrophilia, maybe? But, technically, we're dead - with or without our heads - so just us having sex is necrophilia. Which is gross, too. And wrong. So, maybe we shouldn't call it that. But, with a headless body? That's just..."

"Bella. Shut up." Jasper snapped. He instantly regretted it when she cringed away from him and pulled her legs off his lap. She turned away from him, pulling her legs up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them.

"Can you hand me the shirt, please, Jasper?" she asked quietly.

Instead of complying, he scooted up behind her again and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into his lap. She didn't struggle, and he took that as a good sign. "Bella," he whispered. "I'm sorry. So, so sorry. Tell me. Tell me what happened."

"I don't KNOW what happened" she said. "I just told you that. I don't KNOW what happened. They put my head..."

"I understand that, Bella," he interrupted, not wanting to hear her say it again. "I understand you don't know what happened to your...body. But what happened to YOU. Do you remember?"

"I remember...some of it. I don't think I remember all of it. How is that even possible?"

Jasper didn't know, and he said as much. He'd never really spoken to any of the newborns he'd dealt with in similar situations to get their take on the subject. And to be honest, he'd never kept any of their heads in a box. A part of his mind, which he instantly pretended hadn't spoken at all, pointed out the possibilities such an action held. Carlisle had said the Volturi had ways of control and manipulation. He was guessing this was one of them.

"Well," she was silent for a moment, collecting her thoughts, "well...they took off my head. And it was really weird because it didn't hurt, not really, ya know? Why do you think it didn't hurt?"

"Because they pulled it off, they didn't bite it off," Jasper said, his voice sounding hollow even to himself. "No introduction of foreign venom. No scarring. Keeping you pretty for later."

"Oh. Makes sense. It made a horrible sound, though."

Jasper knew. He knew that sound.

"But, my head was still in the smelly bag. And then they put it in a box. At least, I think it was a box. It smelled kinda like cedar. And I heard the lid close. And then movement. And then...nothing." She stopped talking again, and Jasper knew she was remembering. He didn't speak again, and neither did she for a few minutes.

"Nothing happened for a long time. I mean, I guess it was a long time. It felt like a long time. The box stopped moving, finally, and I could hear muffled voices, but I couldn't tell what they were saying. Then nothing happened again for a while. I thought about counting the time, you know? Counting the seconds, or something. Like prisoners of war keep track of time. But, I didn't think about it until I'd been there for a while, and I decided that by then it was too late. I mean, why bother? I'd be there as long as I was there, and none of it really mattered because I was pretty sure Edward was dead. If he wasn't dead, I knew he would have saved me. At least, at first that's what I thought. I think, as time went on, I started going crazy."

Well, Jasper could certainly understand that. To be honest, he wasn't convinced that she wasn't still a bit crazy. But now, at least, he knew where it came from. So, maybe he could start working on it with her.

"So, I'm in that stupid box. And, after a while, all I could think about was how much I wished they had taken my head out of the bag. I mean, the box didn't smell too bad at first, but whatever was on the bag was just AWFUL. The cedar was nice, though. And I thought if somebody ever came, I could ask them to remove the bag. But, then I realized I couldn't ask them because I couldn't make a sound. So, then I panicked and I think I spent a lot of time trying to scream. You know what was funny, though, Jasper?"

He didn't realize she was expecting him to answer for a moment, but after five minutes or so of silence went by, he finally spoke. "No, Bella, tell me. What was funny?"

"My throat didn't burn AT ALL." She giggled, sounding more than a little crazy, much like she'd sounded when he first caught her. "So, then I worried about my body. Was the part of my throat that burned still attached to my body? Did that mean my BODY was thirsty, but didn't have a way to eat, since its head was in a box? That's when I decided I was better off in the box than wherever my body was, and it was a little easier to, I don't know, accept what had happened."

"Sounds positively existential," he said dryly, not able to think of anything else to say.

She spun around and looked at him. "Oh, it WAS," she said, sounding very earnest. "It WAS. I spent MONTHS, Jasper, able to do nothing but THINK. I can't even tell you now what I thought about. I don't really REMEMBER. But, after a while, I wasn't alone anymore. A man came to visit me."

"A man?" he asked, paying more attention now. "Did you recognize him?"

"I told you..."

"I know, I know you did," Jasper said. "But, how did you know it was a man?"

"Well, he opened the box, so I could hear him. He would come in to wherever I was being kept, open the box, and talk to me. He came a lot. I think he came every day. And, he would just talk."

"What did he talk about?"

"All sorts of things. He apologized. A lot. Saying he was sorry I was there, but that there was nothing he could do about it. He talked about his mate – she died a long time ago. He said he knew how sad I was that my mate was gone. He was very lonely, I think."

"His mate? He was a vampire?"

She looked at him like he was an idiot. "Of COURSE, he was a vampire. He was talking to a head in a box, Jasper – I hardly think he was human!"

"But you don't know for SURE," Jasper insisted.

"Well...no. Not for sure. But, come on..."

"Continue your story," he said, refusing to give in on that point.

She hesitated and, for a moment, Jasper honestly thought she'd refuse to continue until he admitted she was right.

"Well, so he'd come in and talk to me."

"And...?"

"And, that's it. He talked, I listened."

"Did he EVER say anything that might give you some clue as to who he was? Or, why you were there? What they wanted? Who they were?"

"He never made reference to my situation at all, other than to apologize for the fact that it had happened. It was really, very odd. I mean, who was crazier, him or me? He never said anything about wanting anything from me."

Her eyes flicked away for a split second before coming back to meet his. She was lying. He knew she was lying.

Scratch that - he THOUGHT she was lying. He'd depended on his talent for so long his body-language skills were beyond rusty. But, he was pretty damn sure she was lying. Or, perhaps, she wasn't telling him the whole story. Well, there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it. He sure wasn't going to push her on it and risk her taking off on him.

"I don't know, Bella. Talking to a head IS pretty crazy. But, I bet you made a really good listener." As soon as the words were out of his mouth he wanted to slap himself. He was more crass than Emmett.

To his surprise, though, she burst out laughing. "You're right, Jasper – I WAS a good listener."

"So....what else happened?" Obviously SOMETHING else had happened – here they were, in Siberia, and she was very much in one piece.

"Well, sometimes other people would come in...they never opened the box, though, or spoke to me. I could hear them, but I couldn't even tell you for sure if they were male or female. Then, one time, they came in and there was a LOT of screaming. I still didn't recognize most of the voices, but my...friend, for lack of a better word...was with them this time, for sure, because I DID recognize HIS voice. I couldn't make out what they were saying, but they were all really angry, and arguing. Then they all went away, and I was alone for a really long time again. Even my talker didn't come anymore."

"After a while, though, my box was opened again, and somebody grabbed the bag out, and then I was being dumped out of the bag into a hole in the floor. And then, well, then my body was at the bottom of the hole, and I kinda, well, you know, put myself back together. That was really weird, too – I didn't even have to think about it. It was like my body knew my head was there, and it just DID it."

"Alice's vision," Jasper whispered.

"Alice saw that?" Bella asked, surprised. "She saw me putting my head back on my body? Didn't you believe her?"

"No, no...she saw you, in a room, or a cell..."

"The bottom of a hole," Bella whispered.

"Yes. But, she couldn't see very well because it was very dark. She insisted it was you, though. When your body put your head back on, you must have lowered your shield for a moment, just long enough for her to see you."

"Yes...I bet you're right, Jasper."

"That's when we started hoping again, hoping we'd find you, Bella," Jasper told her, grabbing her hands.

"Well, you have found me," she said, "and, amazingly, in one piece. You know, that was always such an abstract saying, especially when I was human. I'll NEVER be able to say it again, though, without fully appreciating exactly what it means."

He was amazed that she was so calm about relating her story to him. Making light of it, even. Then again, he supposed it was better than curling up in a ball and screaming. "How did you get out of the hole, though?"

"Well, that was weird, too...I was SO weak. I hadn't fed in, well, a LONG time – since Carlisle's sheep. And, once I was all put back together...oh, my God, did my throat burn! But, I think even if they'd put somebody in there with me, I would have been too weak to feed. Probably not – but that's the way it felt. And I started thinking they probably WOULD put somebody in there, you know, to cause me to slip up, now that I was so vulnerable. But, they didn't. After a while, though, another vampire jumped down in there with me, and he put a bag over my head. And tied me up. Can you believe that shit? Tied me up, like I was some Christmas package, or something."

"Why'd they bother? Even weak like that, you could have broken loose..."

"I didn't CARE, Jasper. You have to remember that. I didn't CARE anymore. You're right – they probably DIDN'T need to bother tying me up. Because I didn't CARE, not because I was going to fight them. So, anyway, this guy – a vampire, and YES, I'm sure he was a vampire – ties me up, carries me back out through the hole in the ceiling, and takes me to a plane. And before you ask, I DID smell him. I could pick his scent out of a line-up, if you gave me the chance. And I saw him, too, before he put the bag on my head. Really tall, thin, but not skinny, black hair, but he was wearing a mask, so I don't really know what he looked like. I'd never seen him before. Never smelled him before. He put me in an airplane – if I had to guess, I'd guess that it was a jet plane, based on the sound. You know, one of those little private ones. And we flew. And flew. We stopped a few times – four times – for gas, I guess. Then, the next thing I know, he opened up a hatch and tossed me out. The rest, well, you know the rest."

"Yeah, sort of. Why don't you give me a run down again?" She'd already given him so much to process that it was going to take a bit for him to draw any conclusions.

"I fell onto a herd of reindeer. I was able to feed – probably only because I literally killed one when I landed on it. I wandered around 'til I found my cave. I stayed there for a long time, until something woke me up."

"The hiker."

She looked at him, confused. "No, he was later. A, well, I know what it was now – a WEREWOLF woke me up. Except it was in human form. It was screaming at me to get out...at least, I THINK that's what it was screaming – it tried lots of different languages, but the only thing it seemed to know in English was 'out'. Didn't Alice see that?"

Jasper shook his head. "Alice can't see the werewolves. She can't see YOU when your shield is up. Which means she can't see what we're doing very much at all." Jasper didn't want to think about what parts Alice probably WAS able to see.

"Oh. Well, the werewolf came, then later the hiker came – I thought the hiker was the werewolf coming back to kill me. I WANTED it to kill me. So, I got up, but it was a human. Then I, well, you know what happened."

Jasper nodded. He had no need to make her tell him about that.

"After I, um, fed, I felt MUCH better."

He didn't need his power to tell she was feeling guilty about that. He nodded sympathetically. "In all honesty, Bella, after what you'd been through, it's probably the best thing you could have done. The human blood probably helped more than anything else could have. Don't dwell on it, OK?"

"At this point, I wasn't remembering anything. I just started running – running east. I could feel a pull, and I thought it was the pull I always felt for Edward. He told me once we'd always be able to find each other because we were mates, and that pull would always be there. So, I followed it, and I ran 'til I hit the ocean. And that's when I remembered what happened. I knew then it wasn't pulling me to Edward. I thought maybe it was my connection to the family, pulling me home. Do you think?"

Jasper shrugged. "I don't know. I know the pull towards one's mate – I had that with Alice." _Operative word here being 'had'_, he added to himself. "I don't feel a pull towards the Cullens...at least, not as strong as you're talking about. I think I could probably find them, if necessary. But then, you're sort of related by venom, you know? And I'm, well, I'm adopted. So, maybe that makes a difference. Why'd you turn back to the west? You could have swum, you know?"

"I know," she whispered. "I was too scared to. And, I got confused because there was something pulling me west, too...I can feel them both, even right now. So, then I followed the pull west because it didn't involve swimming. And then the werewolves found me – at first, it was only one. It was a different one than the one that came to my cave. This one spoke English. He told me to go back to my master and tell him to stop sending spies. I didn't know what he was talking about, but he didn't believe me. He was a little crazy, I think."

"Yeah, I met him, too," Jasper muttered. "He told me YOU were a little crazy."

"Well, I probably am. I definitely was FEELING more than a little crazy by that point. I just kept running after he talked to me, but I knew he was following me. Then, well, the full moon came up and the next thing I knew, it was WEREWOLVES after me. And then I knew why those two things smelled wrong. They chased me into the water, and I swam over here. Once I got here, I couldn't decide if I wanted to follow the pull to the east or the west."

She made it sound like she was even capable of making a rational decision by that point, something that Jasper seriously doubted. Hell, he doubted she was making anything close to a rational decision now. And he was just following right along on the crazy train. Well, why the fuck not? He was supposed to get Bella. He was doing exactly that – it just might take a bit longer than originally planned.

"Bella, we've talked about it. You know Edward is dead. What do you think is pulling you west, if it's not Edward? I have no doubt that it's the Cullens you feel pulling you to the east."

"I don't know, Jasper." She looked away again, and pulled her hands away, too. She leaned over, grabbed the shirt, and pulled it on. "But right now, I think I want to get moving again. I want to run."

He sighed and stood up, too. The conversation was clearly over. That was okay because she'd just given him a lot to think about. He could think while they ran.

* * *

Long-ass A/N; read it if you're really bored.

And now for a little insight into the author's warped workings...My Beta assured me you would all love it:

I'm glad you're all enjoying the UST, and I'd like to say, 'Yes, yes, I planned it that way!' But I can't claim that. Do you have ANY idea how difficult it is to write lemons? I know a lot of you HAVE written them, and my hat's off to all of you. But for me? Not so easy. In fact, it became a regular drama in and of itself...

I'll tell you now - and hopefully most of you will find it reassuring - that the story's outline was done last fall and a good portion of it was written in rough-draft form by Christmas. I started sending chapters to JaspersDestiny - bless her soul - sometime in mid to late December. She told me she loved it. She also told me by around chapter 16 (post silo) that if STUFF didn't start happening, I might have a revolt... Not wanting to explain why crazy women were burning crosses in our yard or throwing bricks through my window, or whatever the Dear Reader might come up with, I decided to buckle down, and in the words of Nike executives, _Just Do It_.

Easier said than done.

A lot of my writing takes place in a coffee house, where I meet once a week with other... um... writer-type-people. We met during NANOWRIMO a few years ago, and just continued our geekness throughout the year. But I don't really KNOW these people very well. And writing a lemon when you're sitting across the table from somebody (especially a male somebody) who you don't really know is just... not comfortable. At all. So I tried at home, which is also full of distractions - children and husband always asking "What are you doing? What are you doing? What are you writing? Can I read it?" And me thinking, 'Yes, what AM I doing?'

The Beta told me to ask myself "WWJD?" Okay, so LATER the thought occurred to me that she might have meant JASPER, but of course MY first thought was NOT Jasper, but someone else... I told her that a) I'm not inclined towards christianity, so I don't think he'd be very helpful towards me, and b) I'm pretty sure that this very topic IS covered in several places in a certain book, and in most instances, if not all, a very dim view of what I'm attempting to do here is taken.

Soooooo... anyways... back to the writing thing. Like most people involved in this topic, I took my... problem... and retreated to late night computer screen time in order, in my case, to write. No luck. The teenage daughter suddenly developed a fascination with the FML site, and she kept coming out of her room to share various tidbits she found particularly funny. By the end of it, I was ready to enter MY situation on FML. _Shouldn't you be sleeping, honey, because mommy REALLY needs to write these lemons! _But... could this be a sign I shouldn't be writing lemons?

Absolutely NOT, said the Beta. Have some wine. Relax. Write the damn lemon.

Then I tried on an afternoon over Christmas break when nobody was home but me - no interruptions. _Right_. As things were looking good... the daughter comes home early from wherever she was, and announced she intended to practice Rock Band until her fingers bled. _That's fine, honey, just leave me alone while you do it... _Her song choice? 'Spirit in the Sky' -- 45 minutes of non-stop, over-and-over 'Spirit in the Sky'. CLEARLY a message meant for me, whether I was a believer or not.

NOT SO said the Beta. Drink more. Ignore the man behind the curtain. Then, after considerably more whining (tipsy whining, at that), she relented and agreed with me that yes, indeed, it was too early in their relationship and that we didn't need a lemon just yet. Just UST, which I had plenty of by that point.

Which brings us to the next chapter. There, there's a hint for you.


	20. Chapter 20

Short AN: SM owns it all

Chapter 20

They ran through the night in a steady southwest direction, heading deeper and deeper into the mountains. He was still amazed that in all that time, they had had very little problem avoiding human contact. Now, however, he started to look for signs of humanity. He really did want to get some decent clothes for them both. It had even snowed the night before, and running around half-naked, as they were, would be a sure way of drawing instant attention to themselves, not that it really mattered all that much out here in the middle of nowhere. He really didn't expect the Volturi to pop out from behind a tree to arrest them for sparkling in public – no matter how much they may style themselves the enforcers of the so-called Vampire laws. In fact, he wished one of them WOULD show their faces in his vicinity. He had a bone – or two – to pick with them.

The next time they came to a dirt road, instead of crossing it and ignoring it, Jasper instead turned and followed parallel to it, staying back in the woods so they wouldn't be seen should someone come driving along. Bella looked at him curiously, but said nothing.

"Clothes," he said, answering her unasked question.

"And a phone call?" she asked, gesturing to his pack. Everything had charged up the day before, and he'd packed all of it back into its waterproof packing in the Bond Bag.

He shrugged. "Maybe. I doubt there will be a signal I can use with my phone."

"You can steal one, like you've been doing."

"I can," he acknowledged.

"Do you NOT want to call them?" she asked, staring at him and daring him to answer her.

"Do you WANT to?" he countered. She turned away, clearly not wanting to answer any more than he did. The kiss that had occurred between them the night after the fight with the werewolves had not happened again in the two days since. Well, there was the BEGINNING of something back at the river. But, that had ended quickly enough when Jasper had found the vampire-made scars. They hadn't spoken of the kiss either. Or the...flirting, though Jasper wasn't sure if that's what it had been. In fact, the only reference to anything to do with the fight with the werewolves that had been made at all was Jasper asking Bella – several times each day, admittedly – if she was feeling alright. And twice he had stopped them since the river so he could examined her scars again, including the ones on her back, running his fingers gently over her in the guise of making sure she was okay.

"We SHOULD call them," she said quietly.

"We should," Jasper agreed. "We will – if I can get a signal, or get someone else's phone. I promise. But now – I want you to wait here, while I go ahead and see what we're walking into."

"I don't THINK so, Jasper," she said, a stubborn look coming across her face. "I'm coming with you. You're not leaving me behind – I won't be left alone again." The last part she said so quietly, he could barely hear her.

He hesitated for a moment, then nodded. It really didn't matter if she was with him – it wasn't like she would need to be protected from the humans. Quite the opposite. Well, he'd help her bury the bodies if it came to that. "I won't leave you. Come on then, there's some kind of dwelling up ahead. I can FEEL them," he explained when she looked puzzled. They were upwind, so there was no way she would have smelled them.

They soon came to the edge of an opening in the forest. An unnatural meadow, there, in the valley between the mountains. The road continued on, even smaller and sadder than it had been where they'd initially encountered it. It was an odd collection of log buildings, six or seven in all, most of them little more than shacks. One was a garage of sorts, two snowmobiles visible through the open door. A four-wheeler was parked in front of the largest building, which appeared to be a house of sorts. Laundry hung on a line in the yard, drying under the cloudy sky. Dogs sat tied to stakes outside two of the buildings, watching them warily, silent in the presence of what they knew to be deadlier predators.

"Our new wardrobe?" Bella asked quietly, looking at the clothes on the line. Jasper held up a finger, telling her to wait. A woman exited the house, going to the line, and she began to take down the clothes.

"Damn," Bella muttered. Now they'd have to wait 'til darkness and break into the house - or continue on and hope for something else. Something better. But, Jasper had other ideas, and he proceeded to drag Bella with him across the grassy space.

The woman looked up at them, shocked at their sudden appearance.

"How are you today, grandmother?" Jasper asked politely in Russian. Bella looked at him in surprise, both for approaching the woman, and for addressing her in a foreign language.

"I'm no grandmother, boy," she said sharply in the same language, eyeing both him and Bella suspiciously. "What do you want?" She glanced nervously back at the house, and then back at them.

"My apologies, mother," Jasper said smoothly, throwing out calming vibes, causing her to visibly relax. "My companion and I," he gestured to Bella, "have run into some trouble, and I was wondering if you would possibly be willing to sell us some clothing."

The woman looked them both up and down again, then nodded sharply. "Yes, I might have some things that would suit you. But, what do you have for me?"

"Rubles," Jasper said.

The woman snorted. "Hmph. For what they're worth. But, I guess it'll do. That and the clothes you're wearing."

Jasper nodded. "Alright, then. What do you have?"

"Stay there. I'll be right back."

She turned and went back into the house.

"Well?" Bella asked, breaking her silence. "What did you say to her?"

"I asked her if she has any clothes to sell us," Jasper answered, watching the house warily.

"And . . .?"

"She says she does. She is not alone here," he said, gesturing towards the house with a twitch of his head that would have gone unnoticed by a human.

Bella glanced towards the house, much more obvious in her movements. "I can smell him...alcohol and cigarettes. What do you feel?"

"Not much," Jasper said. "I think he may be passed out, drunk."

"What do they do out here?" she asked, looking around her curiously. There were no visible means for these people to support themselves, and it seemed a far way to civilization.

"Trappers. Fur trappers," Jasper answered her, looking at the sheds. "Can't you smell it? The tannins? Sort of a burning in the back of your nose?"

She smirked. "I did feel it. But, it blends in with the burning in my throat."

"Hmph. You drink from either one of them, you'll be passed out stone cold drunk, too."

"Is that possible?" she asked, looking at him in surprise.

He laughed and reached out to pull her in and hug her tight. "I don't think so, not really. And, I've fed from plenty of drunks in my time. But it DOES taste sort of nasty. So, if you're going to fall off the wagon, I'd stick with healthier specimens, if I were you." He glanced over her head at the house. "I think she suspects what we are..."

"Really?" Bella asked, turning to look back at the house. "Vampires? Why would she think that?"

"Maybe not vampires...but she suspects we are not human. Maybe she thinks we're Children of the Moon. As to 'how', well, you'll find that as time goes by that it's easier to hide amongst the 'advanced' humans – the less educated are much harder to fool. The further you get from civilization, the trickier it becomes to blend in. In any case, she seems to have decided that we aren't going to kill her out-of-hand, and we're not worth waking her comatose mate up for – she's probably SURE he'll hit her – we're an unknown in her equation."

"She's not afraid of us?" Bella asked, surprised.

"Asks the girl who ran with vampires," Jasper said, looking down at her fondly. "No, she is very much afraid. But, she also knows there's nothing she could do about it, if we were to wish to kill her. Resigned, Bella, not fearless. Here comes our new wardrobe."

The woman had indeed exited the house again, carrying a basket full of clothing. She set it down on the ground and backed away from it, her eyes never leaving Jasper's form. When she'd backed up several feet, Jasper came forward and took the basket, carrying it back and setting it down beside Bella.

"Look in here," he told her softly, still watching the woman.

Bella hesitantly dug through the offerings. The clothing was clearly old. It was stained, and much-mended. But, it appeared to be clean, stains aside. And, it was in much better shape than what they were currently wearing. Not the best the woman owned, but not from her rag bag, either. She pulled out several articles and held them up, choosing some and discarding others. Finally she had pants and two shirts for each of them."Alright," she said softly. "I assume all we need is the one set? No luggage for this trip?"

Jasper smiled down at her. "No. No luggage. No shoes, either. Just enough to get us to a town..."

"Where do we...?" Bella looked around hesitantly.

"Turn around," he said sharply to the woman in Russian. "Right here, Bella," he said softly. "No one will see you." She looked at him sharply and he smiled at her, a smile that had her stomach doing flip flops. "Except me," he added quietly.

She quickly shed the rags she was wearing and pulled on the pants and a black t-shirt worn thin by years of washing. The pants fit alright around her hips, but they were much too long in the leg. She debated whether to roll them up or tear off the bottoms when Jasper solved the problem by dropping to one knee, grabbing the lower half of one pant leg, and giving a quick rip, effectively tearing off the last five inches of fabric. He quickly repeated the process on the other leg and stood up again."Cuffs will just unroll while we're running," he said, by way of explanation. She nodded in understanding and pulled on a flannel shirt that was more than a little big on her.

"Nice," Jasper said, still smiling. "What do you have for me?" The pants she'd chosen were anything but too long, coming well above his ankles, but he just shrugged and smiled wider. The long sleeve shirt actually fit him fairly decently. He declined the sweater, saying it was unnecessary and it would just snag on branches.

"What do we do with these clothes?" Bella asked, holding up the rags she'd taken off.

"Leave them. The woman wants them."

Bella looked at them and shrugged. Fine by her. She dropped them on the ground next to the basket of laundry. Jasper dumped his destroyed pants on top of them, then dropped several bills on top of the fabric.

"Let's go," he said. "She's getting more nervous, probably thinking about waking up that drunk husband of hers after all. I don't want to cause any more stress. And I don't want to end up eating them."

Soon they were flitting through the forest, heading southwest again. As soon as they could no longer smell the humans, Bella stopped. Jasper stopped a few yards later and turned to walk back to her.

"What was the meaning of that?" she asked him.

"Of what?"

"Of that little scene back there. Why didn't we just steal the clothes off the line? Why did you talk to that woman? Why did we have to interact needlessly?"

Jasper looked at her for a moment. "Bella," he finally said quietly. "Do you need to hunt?"

"What? Yes. Yes, I do. Don't change the subject, Jasper."

"I'm not changing the subject, Bella. I had a very good reason for talking to that woman instead of stealing the clothes. I wanted to see how being around her affected you."

Realization dawned in her eyes. "That was a test?!?"

"Of sorts, yes."

"You were willing to risk those lives just to see what I would do?"

"Yes," Jasper said without hesitation. "I'd rather find out now instead of waiting 'til we were in the middle of town somewhere. Better a drunk in the woods than a child in the marketplace, Bella. I can't FEEL you anymore," he stared pointedly at her and she looked away, "so I have to do this the old fashioned way."

"I guess that makes sense," she told him quietly.

"Of course it does. And Bella, you didn't even twitch. You didn't react at all to their smell. As thirsty as you are, I bet you barely thought about feeding from them."

"They DID smell bad," she pointed out.

"Yes, they did. But that wouldn't have stopped you if you'd truly wanted them. I'm proud of you, Isabella."

She smiled. "But what about you, Jasper – didn't YOU want to, um, feed from them? I always thought..."

His eyes hardened for the briefest of moments. Ah, yes. She remembered him just fine, the weak link in their vegetarian family. "They didn't bother me, either, Bella. I think you'll find I actually have plenty of control – when I'm not fighting the burn of multiple throats, along with my own. Your shield actually has ONE good thing going for it – your thirst doesn't effect me at all."

She processed what he was saying. After a moment, she grabbed his hand and they started off on their previous course.

"Well, we have the clean clothes," Bella said after a while. "Now all we need is the hot shower. And room service."

Jasper grinned at her. "I think I might be able to provide both," he said.

"What?" she asked "What do you mean?"

"Nuh uh – it's a secret...I want to surprise you..." he said, but he suddenly veered off the course they'd been on and headed back north, leading her up through a small side valley. "Look at that creek, Bella – what do you see?"

"Um...water?" she asked sarcastically.

"No shit, Sherlock. Look closer – what's it DOING?"

"Uh...Oh – OH! It's steaming...it's hot! Did you find me a hot spring?"

"I did indeed – just what the lady ordered. And, if you ask nicely, I will even serve you dinner poolside."

She looked at him, not sure if he was joking or not. At that moment, though, they came across a small meadow where the hot spring poured out of a stone outcropping into a pool below. Bella looked at it in amazement. It truly WAS a hot shower, pouring into a pool large enough for them to swim in.

"Did you know this was here?" she asked, turning to Jasper in amazement.

He really, really wanted to be able to say he had, but he couldn't. "No – it's just luck. I thought I kept smelling a whiff of sulfur, but I wasn't sure. Lucky for us it doesn't smell too bad – often times, these places are too much for our sense of smell to handle."

She started stripping off the newly acquired clothes, looking at the water eagerly, not paying attention to him at all. "And did you mean it, about bringing me dinner?"

Jasper watched her disrobe, eagerly drinking in the sight of her naked body as he'd been unable to do back at the woman's house. "Yes," he whispered. "Anything." She swung her head to look at him, gold and red eyes burning into his, catching him staring.

"There's a herd of something nearby," he said, eyes snapping up to meet hers. "I smelled them on the way up here. If you want, I really will bring you one."

She looked at the water, then back at her clothes, then back at him. This time he managed to keep his eyes on hers, not letting them trail over her body again like they wanted to. She smirked at him. "That would be great, Jasper. I'd like that."

He was gone in a flash.

Bella shook her head, smiling, and entered the water. The warmth felt glorious on her cold skin. She decided she might just stay here forever, especially if she could get Jasper to continue bringing her food. At the thought of Jasper, though, she frowned a bit. They needed to talk...didn't they?

Or did they? They could just stay here forever, at the hot springs, and they'd never have to talk about anything they didn't want to. They could just...

But they couldn't. There were those werewolves – Jasper might have killed six of them, but Bella knew there were more. A monthly threat to them. And then there was that tugging, that annoying pulling at her very center. Without thought, her head turned to the west, toward the pull that was coming from there. The pull that was tugging her, even now. A sharp tug. Pulling her to something she did not understand. She turned east, and felt a faint tug there. Pulling her...home? To the Cullens, like Jasper thought? It must be. And then north, in the direction Jasper had vanished moments earlier. A new tug, still faint, pulling her after him.

She huffed in disgust - disgust at herself, disgust at the situation. She was going to be pulled apart, that's what she felt like. All this tugging was going to pull her apart, and then someone could just come along and actually burn the pieces this time. She tried to add another layer to her shield, to protect herself from all the tugging, and she slipped under the hot water that was pouring off the rock face. A hot shower, indeed.

Jasper returned to the hot springs fifteen minutes later, a struggling doe under his arms. Bella was nowhere to be seen, and for a moment he panicked. Had she been taken? Had she fled, running west without him? But, no, her clothes were still there on the bank where she'd dropped them.

"Bella," he called softly, thinking she must be in the water.

Sure enough, she rose up out of the water under the waterfall, looking like some sort of goddess, the water running off her marble skin, her long hair hanging in long ropes down her back – it looked like she'd gotten some of the tangles out. She was clean for the first time since he'd found her, and Jasper thought she'd never looked more beautiful.

"Dinner, Isabella?" he asked, holding the deer out to her.

"What is it? It's so small..."

Jasper looked down at the miniature deer in his hands. "It's...um...a...well, I don't know what it is." he said.

Bella swam closer, then walked towards him and looked at it. "It's a musk deer."

"Alright. If you say so."

"Jasper!" Bella covered her mouth, looking horrified. "Those are endangered! I can't eat that!"

"What the hell do you mean? How do you know that?" he asked, trying to decide whether he should be amused by her mortification or pissed at himself for bringing her something that was unacceptable. How the hell was he supposed to know the damn thing was endangered? He wasn't a freaking wildlife agent.

"After my change...Edward..." she choked when she said his name, but continued after a moment, "Edward and I studied...you know...so I would know what not to eat..." she trailed off, and once again Jasper wished she'd just let her damn shield down so he could tell what she was feeling.

He sighed. Jesus. That was typical Edward, through and through. Giving a new born a lesson in wildlife management. Christ. "I'm sorry, Bella. I really didn't know. For me, the fact that I'm not eating the neighbors is about all the effort I've ever put into menu planning." He looked down at the thing in his arms, glad now that he hadn't eaten any of its friends. It had stopped struggling and just lay there, panting hard, eyes glazed. "But, Isabella, it's going to die now. It's in shock from fear. If you don't want it, I'll have to eat it so at least its death isn't a waste..."

She sighed, taking pity on him and the little deer in his arms. "I'll take it." She started to walk towards him again, her body rising out of the water all the way, and he couldn't tear his eyes away from the sight of her. She took the deer from him, quickly breaking its neck, and crouched down to drain it. Jasper watched while she fed, no desire whatsoever to fight her over the meal, and he noticed with one part of his mind that while she kept an eye on him, she did not growl at his nearness.

He had a vision of them hunting together, bringing down larger game together - a moose, or maybe a bear - and sharing the meal. Sharing the hunt, and the feeding, as mates might...He began stripping down, still watching her. She watched him right back, finishing up her meal and never breaking eye contact. He noticed she didn't make a mess of it this time, the only sign she'd fed at all was the small amount of blood trickling down at the corner of her mouth. Her tongue darted out to lick it up, and he growled slightly. A crafty look came across her face, and instead of bringing the blood back into her mouth with her tongue, she instead smeared it across her lips, staring at him the entire time, her eyes narrowing in what looked like a challenge.

That was all it took. Jasper lunged at her, throwing them both backward towards the pool of hot water. He grabbed her close to him, and his lips closed over hers before they'd hit the water, taking in the taste of the blood, mingled with her own taste that he craved even more than the blood. Before they could go under, though, he'd grabbed her hips and held them both upright, standing knee deep in the hot water.

He no longer cared if it might be wrong. How COULD it be wrong? There was no reason this shouldn't be happening. She was a widow - a widow of a year and a half. However strangely or maliciously it had happened, he was no longer part of a mated pair. And he wanted this. He wanted her.

He pulled back from the kiss for a moment, his tongue coming out to lick what blood remained. He ran it across her lips once more for good measure before reclaiming his former position. He went to deepen the kiss, demanding - not begging - entrance. She quickly complied, opening her mouth just a fraction, but it was all he needed. He growled softly at her taste - all her now, the deer's blood gone. His tongue explored her mouth while his hands pulled her closer to him, sliding around her to the small of her back, then down to cup her ass. In an instant she'd jumped up and wrapped her legs around his waist.

Jasper tightened his hold on her, barely preventing them from tumbling into the water together. One hand moved up her back, the other remained on her ass to help keep her in position, though she didn't seem to need much help with the grip her thighs had on him right now. She was nipping at his lips now, and beginning to purr. Fuck, he loved that sound, he thought, moving his lips away from hers. She growled in frustration until she realized where his lips were headed. He kissed his way down her neck, dragging his tongue across her scars, then lower to nip at her collar bone. From there he quickly moved on to her breasts. She loosened her arms from around his back, grabbing his shoulders instead, and arched her back, leaning away to give him better access. He took advantage of the better angle and kissed his way down to one nipple, giving it a quick lick before crossing over to the other breast, paying more attention to that one, circling it with his tongue several times before taking it in his mouth, tugging it hard with his teeth. She cried out and changed the angle of her hips, bringing her center into direct contact with his now painfully hard cock.

She was already wet - incredibly wet - and the sensation of her rubbing against his cock nearly sent him over the edge. "Oh, fuck, Jasper," she gasped, rubbing a little harder, a little more demandingly.

Apparently she wanted this just as much as he did. 'Apparently' being the key word. Her body was definitely saying 'yes'. Jasper groaned in frustration. Good Lord, was her body saying 'yes'. But as much as he wanted this - wanted her - he needed more.

"No," he said, grabbing her waist tightly and lifting her up from where she'd been about to lower herself onto him. She struggled, but he was definitely stronger – though he had to admit, those thighs were incredible.

"'NO'?" she howled in disbelief "'NO'? What the hell do you mean 'NO'? You can't kiss me like that, do that to me, then tell me 'NO'."

"Bella," he said sharply, and with a twist he had her off his waist and standing in the water once more. She struggled to break free of his hold, but he didn't let go. "Listen to me. I want this. I want you. But I can't do it like this. I WON'T do it like this. I can't...you've got to let me in."

She stopped struggling. "What? Why...I don't understand...what does my shield have to do with this?" She gestured between them with her hand.

He took a risk and let go with one hand, using it to force her face upwards so she was looking at him. "I want to make love to you, Bella, not just fuck you. You deserve to be loved, Bella. Please, just let me in. Just a little bit."

She studied him for a moment, looking for what, he didn't know. But apparently she found it because the next thing he knew, her shield had come down. Just like earlier, it was not all the way down, not by a long shot. But it was further down than it had ever been. And it was more than enough for him. Before she changed her mind, he let go of his feelings for her, watching her face as they washed over her. Protection. Help. Comfort. Friendship. Lust – lots of lust, and he felt sort of bad for that. He didn't want her to think that that was his main feeling for her. It just happened to be the one that was fairly overpowering at the moment. But mostly, there was love. And the desire to become more, if she let him.

He could tell it was swirling around her, and she closed her eyes with a sigh. Then he felt her emotions wash over him in return. Muted, but there. In the background, filling her up almost - or so it seemed - were fear, pain, anger. But for him, she had other emotions that she let him feel more freely. Thankfulness. Relief. Friendship. Lust. And a hint - just a hint - of something that could grow into love. And it, too, was enough.

He yanked her back to him and kissed her hard, reaching down to grab her legs to lift her back into the position she'd recently been in. This time, her shield stayed down. Jasper let his lust pour over her and mix with her own, returning to him stronger and more powerful. This...this was heaven, he thought. The combination of their feelings was sending him over the edge, and he felt things getting out of hand, but he didn't care now that she'd let him in. Now that he knew how she felt, and that he'd shown her how he felt.

He was kissing her and biting her lips, and this time when she began to lower herself onto him, he didn't stop her. He thought briefly about crossing the pool of water, and backing her up to the cliff face so they could both get better leverage, but as soon as he felt her heat begin to envelope him, he knew they'd never make it. Or, at least, he'd never make it.

He buried his face in her neck, kissing her shoulder, trying to not bite her. He was afraid that might set off a reaction he really didn't feel like dealing with right now.

"God, Bella," he whispered, "you feel glorious." He grabbed her hips to move her, trying to set a rhythm. She didn't fight him, letting him set a fast pace. She had her arms wrapped around his shoulders again, one hand holding his head into her, the other pulling him in closer. Jasper thought it was almost like she was trying to achieve maximum bodily contact.

"Uh huh," she grunted, trying to speed up their pace. He let her because he knew it didn't matter at this point. She all but slammed down on him a few more times, frantically, and then he felt her muscles clench tightly around him. A moment later he felt his own release begin, and he moved his hands from her hips to wrap his arms around her, pulling her even closer to him.

"Jesus, Jasper," she gasped. "That was..."

"Fast?" he panted, not letting her go, loving the feel of her wrapped around him.

"Well, that, too. But, I was going to say 'glorious'. Although, to an outsider, it might have looked suspiciously like fucking, not making love."

He pulled his head away from her neck in order to look at her. "Well, that's the outsider's problem. They shouldn't be watching us fuck, anyway."

"Is it..." she hesitated, "is it, um, always like that? Do you always do that...thing...with your feelings? With OUR feelings?"

He looked at her thoughtfully before answering. "It can be like that," he told her. "If you'd like. It's not something I often did with...Alice. It's definitely not something the others at home always appreciate – well, other than Emmett and Rosalie. They seemed to enjoy it more than Carlisle and Esme. And, well, with Edward, it never seemed quite, I don't know, fair to him. Believe me, Bella, letting that happen in a house full of vampires, well, it led to some interesting outcomes. But, out here, with no one around, yeah. I can always do that. And, if you think that was glorious, I'm here to tell you that you set the bar pretty low, girl. I can do a lot better than that."

"Really now?" she asked, a slow grin forming. "Well, we'll have to look into that claim a little later. Right now, I want that hot shower!"

* * *

Another long AN, because honestly? The last one? Was just the BEGINNING of the story.

First of all, thank you SO MUCH to all the reviewers. I FAILED at thanking most of you, because...I just did. It happens. Hopefully not often. I read them all, and appreciated every one of them!

So, um, yeah, the lemon. No comment. But I gotta tell you what I went through to get it written...I decided after all the other UST, and after consulting J (thank you whoever said I should have asked WWJWD, to make sure the right person answered!), that all I really needed was some freakin' peace and quiet to write it. On Monday nights, my daughter has Youth Orchestra, and I sit for 2 1/2 hours waiting for her. I can't get internet, because, um, what kind of Public Institution of Higher Learning (Also known as a Nationally Ranked University) would actually allow the public (that pays for it with tax money) to access its wi fi? I WORK for them, and I can't freakin' log on...but that's another rant for another day. The point is, 2 1/2 hours every Monday night in the beautiful, peaceful, distraction free, EMPTY lobby of the Music Hall was calling my name. It was the first post-holiday rehearsal, and I realized this was my chance. The chapter was coming along nicely, and things were heating up, when two other mothers appeared from somewhere (maybe Hell? that's my current theory) and sat down behind me (circular seating around a potted plant/tree, everybody's back is to the center). They sit down. They start talking. Ever get the feeling people are talking to YOU, without really talking to you? Well, I did.

I ignored them at first. But then one of them started, um, witnessing (I guess that would be the correct word - as mentioned earlier, not my area of expertise) to the other one, discussing the evils lurking in the world, just waiting to lure people in. I started wondering if they could see what I was typing through the shrubbery that separated us, but I didn't want to turn and look. THEN she started talking about her missions trips, and how she and her family had spent quite a bit of time in India doing mission work, and had miraculously driven the demons out of a shaman in the Himalayas, bringing him to Christ. And since the village shaman had converted, that meant the entire VILLAGE had converted to Christianity. And wasn't that wonderful? And then there was this other time when they were in the Holy Land...And then when they visited Pakistan...And in Jerusalem...And next summer they're going to some island in southeast asia...I swear, this woman and her family are a menace to indigenous religions everywhere.

You get the idea. It went on for two hours. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. I did later google it and find out, to my surprise, that not everyone in the Himalayas are Hindus or Buddhists. There are lots of animists, complete with their own shamans. Or, at least, there were before this helpful woman came along. (At that point my beta gently pointed out I needed to be googling the Kama Sutra, not little-known religious practices). Again I consulted J, and he said he would cheerfully detour through the Himalayas and drain this woman and her entire family for me in a future chapter, if I would JUST LET HIM GET SOME SEXIN' IN FIRST. PLEASE. And THANK YOU.

I came home that night, sat down and finished the lemon.


	21. Chapter 21

AN: SM owns the characters. There a bit in here I'd like to dedicate to mrsalreyma and her love of all things moose-like.

Chapter 21

"Bella, I think we have a problem," Jasper said, looking around him in shock. There was no response from the woman still submerged in the hot water next to him. "Bella," he said, more sharply.

When there was still no response, he sighed and reached down through the water and grabbed her arm, heaving her out of the water and setting her down on her feet, so she stood beside him, waist deep in steaming hot water.

"Why'd you do that?" she asked, sounding – and feeling - more than a little annoyed.

"Look," he said, gesturing toward the bank.

She glared at him for another moment, then turned to look where he was pointing.

"Shit," she whispered. "When did that happen?"

There was snow on the ground. At least a foot, maybe more.

"Well, SOMETIME in the last couple of weeks..." Jasper said, feeling as puzzled as she looked.

"Two weeks?" she yelped, sounding shocked. "We've been here for two weeks?"

It was his turn to look shocked. "No. We've been here over two months – we haven't come up for _air_ in two weeks. Don't you know how long we've been here?" he asked her.

"I have a hard time with telling time anymore, you know, after the...box...and the cave...I just don't notice it going by..." she trailed off, her eyes sliding away from his, focusing in the direction of the forest.

"Oh...sorry. Yeah, it's been almost two and a half months. I guess I shouldn't be so surprised about the snow." Looking at it, though, Jasper still felt surprised.

"Wow. That's gotta be some kind of record, don't you think?" Bella said, quickly recovering from her moment of melancholy.

He laughed. "Actually, it's NOT a record. I'm pretty sure Emmett and Rosalie hold that honor."

"Really? For being submerged in a hot spring?"

"Absolutely. Six months. It's in Emmett's book."

"Emmett has a book?" she asked.

"Oh, yes. His 'Vampire's Book of World Records'." Bella looked at him in disbelief. "I'm not lying to you. He's very serious about it. Of course, not surprisingly, he holds most of the records in it - he bugs the hell out of other vampires when we run into them, asking them about things they've done, shit like that. Some of it IS cool," Jasper admitted. "And I'm pretty sure you're in it a couple times."

"Me?" Now she was shocked. "What have I done that would have gotten me in there? And why didn't he ever say anything to me about it? How did I not know anything about this book?" Bella was pretty sure she didn't like the sound of that. Not one bit. Not knowing Emmett the way she did.

It was Jasper's turn to look away and not make eye contact, confirming Bella's fears. "Um...I think that's something you should take up with him, Bella. It's HIS book. And really, you were pretty, um, preoccupied, you know? You really didn't have much time for family time before you and Edward left..." he winced a little at saying that, but really, he couldn't keep avoiding that whole time in her life. And he noticed she didn't flinch when he brought it up.

"Yeah, I guess so...but he is SO showing it to me when we get home...six months, though? They didn't actually go six months without eating, did they?"

"Neither did we," he pointed out.

And they hadn't. One week into Bella's "Spa Stay" - as she'd labeled it - Jasper had announced that they HAD to eat. Even though she'd dropped her shield enough that daily feeding wasn't necessary, her eyes had darkened to black again. And so he'd attempted dragging her out of the water. She'd snapped at him, sharp teeth barely missing his hand, yelling that she was NOT leaving the hot water, for any reason.

"Yeah, but WE played alligator. So, technically we didn't leave the water," she said firmly, suddenly convinced that they needed to be in Emmett's book. "So, really, that should beat Emmett and Rosalie's record."

"Well, TECHNICALLY, you DID leave the water. For exactly 4.5 seconds," Jasper reminded her.

With Bella's insistence that she was not leaving the water, and a few additional tooth snappings in Jasper's direction to reinforce her words, came the invention of the game Bella had dubbed "Alligator". The hot springs seemed to be a fairly popular watering hole, especially as the weather got colder. Jasper and Bella would lie submerged in the pool, waiting for an unsuspecting beast to come down for a drink. Their first victim was a large bull moose. It had a magnificent spread of antlers, and Jasper had felt guilty for a moment. The guilt disappeared, though, as Bella breached the water ahead of him and grabbed onto the great beast's neck as it bent down to drink, simultaneously dragging it further into the water and attempting to snap its neck. She may have been a vampire, but the creature had size on its side, and it was actually able to fling her off of itself. She had flown through the air and landed back in the pool on her butt, a look of surprise on her face. Jasper was on the creature before it had even finished its shake, and he had dropped it into the water with a resounding snap of its neck.

_Bella stood up and joined him in the water next to the beast. "I can't believe that happened," she said, extremely disgruntled._

_"Don't worry about it," Jasper said, trying to soothe her ruffled pride, even though he knew the fact that he was trying not to laugh wasn't helping matters._

_"I'm supposed to be the ultimate predator, and I just ended up on my ass in a puddle thanks to my dinner!" she said._

_"Bella, we ARE the ultimate predator. But a moose is NOT our natural prey. You're designed to take down PEOPLE. Not a 2,000 pound moose. He had physics on his side, babe. You'd have gotten him in the end. Especially if you'd been more willing to leave the damn water. You can't get a good grip on something like that, at your height, if you aren't willing to get up there on top of it. Why do you think Emmett likes taking on bears so much? Even though we know we'll get 'em in the end, at least it's a bit of a challenge. I can guarantee, when faced with your natural prey, there is not a human male alive that you could not lure in and have drained in under two minutes, with no trouble at all. Come on, before he congeals." Jasper squatted down in the water at the creature's neck, and gestured for her to join him. After a moment's hesitation, she did, reaching for the other side. She and Edward had shared meals like this, and it felt odd sharing with someone else. Even if they had become lovers._

_Odd, but at the same time, completely right._

The memory made her laugh. "Yeah, but I got the next two just fine, so...if you don't count that FIRST week, since I guess I did leave the water, that STILL counts as over two months in the water. Of course...I guess they could have played alligator, too." The thought seemed to bother her. "Do you know if they did, Jasper?"

Jasper had to laugh at her sudden obsession with Emmett and Rosalie's hot spring stay. "I honestly have NO idea, Bella. I didn't really care enough to ask for details."

"Well, that's it, then. We only have to stay another FIVE months, and we'll have beat their record with a good margin of error." Quicker than he could stop her, she'd did a backwards dive into the water. Jasper noticed that as graceful as she was in her execution, she'd made sure that her feet didn't leave the water, making it more of a graceful flop. He sighed and dove in after her, reappearing a second later with a struggling Bella in tow. She may have been stronger than a moose, but she wasn't stronger than him.

"Bella," he said, exasperation filling his voice. "We can't stay here."

"We most certainly can," she insisted. "I have a date with Emmett's record book."

"What about Europe? Remember, you just HAVE to go to Italy?" They didn't have to, he thought desperately. He didn't want to go to Italy. But he DID want to get her out of the water.

"I don't," she lied, knowing he wasn't buying it. She didn't want to go anywhere. She wanted to ignore the pull. She could ignore it, if she was wrapped around him.

"We have got to leave. The full moon's only a couple of weeks away."

A flash of fear crossed her face, and he felt it from her, too, but then it just as quickly disappeared. "We were here during the last two full moons, and nothing happened to us," she pointed out smugly.

"I made sure we were under water the whole time the last two full moons," Jasper said.

"Then we'll just stay under this month, too – and every month. See, it will work out just fine!"

Jasper sighed again. He was doing that way too much since he'd found Bella, he reflected briefly. "Last two times they hadn't found us. This month, they know we're here."

"WHAT?" she shouted. "Are you sure?" she continued in a whisper.

"Yes. About two weeks ago, there was someone here. And it smelled not-quite-human. I probably would not have noticed a difference – Carlisle was right about that – but since I'd run into them before, in their human form, and knew what to look for, I could tell. He stayed for a day, then left. But he knows we're in here." He didn't mention that he was fairly certain it was Mstislav. He didn't know quite what to make of that information himself, and he didn't want to discuss it with her yet.

"How did I miss all this? Why didn't you say something earlier?" she hissed at him, beginning to get truly frightened.

"Relax, Bella. I didn't say anything earlier because we needed to stay SOMEWHERE until your eyes turned gold, and you seemed happy here. In fact, I would have been more than happy to stay longer, if it wasn't for this thing showing up. I wouldn't have mentioned it at ALL, but quite frankly, I knew you'd be a pain in the ass to get out of the water, so I figured a little bit of fear would light a fire under your ass and get you moving. As to why you missed it? Well, the fact that you won't get out of the water has something to do with that."

"Relax? RELAX? Excuse me, but have you SEEN my BACK lately?" she was screeching now.

"Every day, babe. Look, he's gone. But he'll be back, and he might bring friends. We'll get dressed now and take off, and we'll be halfway to Europe before the full moon..."

"Oh, Jasper," she moaned, looking at the snow again. "What about our clothes?"

"I put them up above the falls in a little cave, along with the Bond Bag."

"You left the water?"

"Well, it wasn't my Spa Stay, and I'm not trying to break some sort of record - that is all you, sweetheart." Jasper swam back across the pool and clambered up the rock next to the falls. Their clothes were still hidden in the rocks, along with the bag, nice and dry back away from the snow. The phone and GPS were fully charged as well. _At least one of them had been thinking about something other than comfort during the past few weeks_, Jasper thought with a snort. Although, if anyone had ever needed to just relax and think about nothing other than warm water, it was Bella.

"C'mon, Bella. Climb up here and get dressed, and let's get going. There'll be other hot springs, I promise you. Leave with me now, and I promise we'll break Emmett's record when we finally get home. We'll stay under for a whole YEAR if that's what you want to do. But, please, let's get moving".

She scrambled up to the ledge where he was standing and began pulling her clothes on, staring sadly down at the water.

"I really liked it here," she said softly.

"I did too, Bella," Jasper told her, pulling her in close to him. "I promise, I'll find another one for you when we get home. I know where lots of them are, all over Canada and Alaska."

"Promise?" she asked, looking up at him.

"Promise," he said softly, lowering his head to kiss her.

* * *

They ran at full speed through the night, their feet barely leaving marks in the snow. Even though it wasn't cold to her, the sensation of running through the deep snow in her bare feet felt extremely odd to Bella. Skimming across the top of it felt even odder. The rising sun found them a few hundred miles south of their hot springs, and Jasper thought they'd be coming up on a fairly decent-sized town soon, based on the increasing number of dwellings they'd passed during the night. They'd come out of the mountains, but they were still in heavy woodland. They were running along a road now, as the sun rose. The road had not been plowed, and there were no tire tracks in the snow. They hadn't seen or heard a vehicle, either, since they'd picked it up, and the town Jasper had hoped for had yet to appear. As the daylight intensified, they moved off the road, continuing to run alongside of it, but remaining in the trees and out of sight.

The trees finally opened out onto what Bella thought might be farmland during warmer months. The tree line was on the crest of a hill, and it afforded them a view of a river winding through open land. A small town sat on the river bank, on their side of the river. The road was still unplowed, and there was no bridge in the town leading to the other side, but from here they could make out a couple of vehicles coming and going across what looked to be a ford across the river, although there was still no traffic on their section of road.

"There we go, Bella. We can go in tonight, get some better clothes so we'll blend in, and catch a ride out of here on one of those trucks."

"Why do we need to ride?" Bella asked. "Wouldn't it be easier, and quicker, to just keep running?"

"Quicker, maybe, but we're leaving a trail."

'"But there's only the one road out of town," she pointed out. "It'll be pretty obvious which way we went ..."

"But that road leads to other roads. Obvious which way we left town, yes, but after that...not so easy to find us."

She nodded. "Alright, that makes sense..."

By midnight they were on their way south, riding atop a freight truck that had definitely seen better days. They sat on the canvas-covered load, hanging on to a bar of the roof's frame to prevent themselves from getting bounced off onto the snowy road.

"I thought Russians were blond," Bella told Jasper. "Everybody in that town looked, I don't know, Chinese or Mongolian or something..."

"Russians do tend to be blond. The people out here aren't Russian, though. They're, well, I don't know what they call themselves. Besides comrade..."

"Not anymore," Bella interjected.

"Right. Not anymore. Anyway, I would guess they're pretty closely related to the Chinese."

"I feel ridiculous in this get-up," she said, letting go with one hand and gesturing to her fur hat. Jasper had one to match, and they both wore old parkas over their clothes from earlier. Winter boots and gloves completed the picture. They should pass inspection if anybody decided to look closely at them. "And to be honest, the stuff stinks really bad."

"We're going to Yakutsk," Jasper said, as if that should be somehow reassuring, ignoring her comment about the smell. His clothing smelled, too, but he couldn't do anything about it at the moment.

"And that means exactly...what?" Bella asked him.

"Yakutsk is a fairly big place, we should be able to blend in, get some better clothes – some NEW clothes. If we can make it south from there, or even to Irkutsk, we could ride the train all the way to Moscow – you know, the Orient Express? Then make our way into Europe from there. Yakutsk is over 1000 miles from Irkutsk, though, and I'm not sure what kind of travel takes place between the cities, especially in the winter..." he trailed off, realizing that Bella was staring at him in shock.

"How do you KNOW all this...this...stuff? First the missile base, now the towns. And you speak Russian, and...and you're just like a walking trivial pursuit game!"

"Bella, we're vampires, we never forget ANYTHING. And we never sleep. It leaves a lot of free time to pursue a variety of interests."

"Are you telling me you're interested in Russia?" she teased him.

"I was," Jasper said, sounding formal, not rising to her bait. "On a more...tactical...level. The cold war was almost over by the time you were born, Bella, but it was right there staring us in the face for a pretty big chunk of my existence. And I'm a military man. Know your enemy, and all that."

"Hmmm. Well, do you think they'll have something with less fur on it in this Yakutsk place?"

"I'm sure we can find you something a little more modern looking," he assured her. "I never would have expected Bella Swa...Cullen," he corrected, mentally kicking himself, "to be concerned with how she looked, though." It was his turn to tease her. She took it with good grace, though, ignoring his slip with her name.

"Yeah, I know, I'm finding it hard to believe myself. But this coat weighs more than I do, and I feel like I can't maneuver in it. And I'd like you to know that I'm not completely fashion ignorant."

"Alice would be proud," he told her, laughing.

"She's probably cringing even as we speak," Bella said sourly, and Jasper's laughter cut off abruptly. The knowledge that his former mate was probably seeing everything that was happening made him sad on some level. He knew she would not begrudge either of them their happiness, but the feeling of violation and theft still haunted him. He hoped that she was able to deal with her own feelings, with the help of their family.

"Probably," he agreed, smiling, letting her know it was okay with him to talk about Alice.

She didn't follow that conversation line, though, and silence descended again. Finally, Jasper broke it.

"Bella, your shield is back up all the way. What's up with that? Can't you leave it down, just a little bit?" he asked softly.

"I can't," she whispered, not looking up at him, continuing to watch the scenery pass by. "I CAN'T. I promised Edward...I mean, when we were alone at the springs, it was different. But now...I don't feel safe anymore."

Jasper's heart lurched. He knew what Edward had told her. She'd told him. But..."Bella. Edward said when you're with family. I'M family. Surely he just meant, you know, while you were in danger. But you're safe now, Bella. At least let ME in. At least while we're safe like this. Please!"

"I know, Jasper," Bella whispered. "I know he meant just then, just to keep me safe. I KNOW that, but I can't...it was the last thing he asked of me. It's the only thing I can do for him."

Well, he couldn't blame her for that. He couldn't begrudge her the fact that her tie to her mate was still intact, even if that mate was gone. But it was making his attempt to forge a bond extremely difficult. She hadn't seemed at all opposed to his advances so far. Their time in the hot springs had been wonderful. She'd initiated contact just as much, if not more, than he had. And she'd let her shield down every time. But until he could FEEL what she was feeling all the time, not just in the midst of passion, he just couldn't be sure...couldn't be sure if she was open to ALL of his intentions. For he had every intention of winning her, in every way – not just as his lover. The best he could do right now, he decided, was wait. Wait, and help her with whatever this thing was she was doing, and prove to her that she could trust him.

"I understand," he told her. "I do. But Bella, I want you to know, and I can't say this enough - you can trust me. When you're ready, let me in. I promise, you can trust me."

"I know, Jasper," she whispered back. "I know."

* * *

AN: No exciting authors note. Sorry! Writing was going smoothly at this point!


	22. Chapter 22

SM Owns the characters.

Chapter 22

Carlisle and Esme returned from their hunt to find the house eerily quiet.

That, and the fact that there were three bathtubs embedded in the front yard, and three gaping holes where there had previously been windows on the second floor, told them that something was not quite right.

They could tell by the scents that their three remaining children were home. But, other than the hum of electronics and clicking coming from the back of the house, there was no noise. They crossed the yard in silence, pausing at each tub to inspect it briefly, before finally stopping on the porch before entering.

"I'm not sure I even want to go in there," Carlisle told his mate. Coming home to destruction was not unknown. It was not, all things considered, even all that rare. Having five – well, briefly, for a time, six – young vampires in the coven, most not even out of their teens when changed, led to sometimes volatile, but always interesting, living conditions. But bathtubs in the front yard might have been a first, even for them.

Carlisle opened the door quietly and Esme followed him in, closing the door just as quietly behind her. She followed him into the family room where they found Emmett sitting alone, playing a video game with the sound turned off. What little furniture had survived Carlisle's fury a few days earlier had been rearranged, and the last remaining couch, with Emmett on it, was now situated so that it was blocking the entrance to the hall that led to Carlisle and Esme's master suite. Once again Carlisle and Esme exchanged looks, more concerned than before.

"Emmett? What's going on?" Esme asked softly.

Emmett stopped playing, not bothering to pause or save the game, and turned to them. "Alice is having more visions..."

"She is? Are they about Jasper and Bella?" Esme asked, excited.

"Oh, yeah. Unfortunately, they seem to involve more...licking. It seems your theory might be right, Carlisle," Emmett looked from Esme to Carlisle, "Bella seems to be dropping her shield more often, but, um, only at certain times..."

Carlisle's eyes widened with understanding, but Esme was still puzzled.

"Certain times? I don't understand. Are they alright? Are they in danger?"

Emmett chuckled quietly, the sound odd coming from the normally boisterous vampire. "Oh, it seems they're MORE than alright, at least for the moment." There was a loud crash from upstairs, and all three of them cringed. "They're, umm..."

"Oh, my God," Esme said, finally catching on.

"Yep. Alice is tuned in to the Jasper/Bella porn channel right now."

There was another loud crash from upstairs, followed by the sound of breaking glass and something hitting the ground in the backyard.

"Is that Alice?" Carlisle asked, concern in his voice.

"Um, no. That would be Rosalie. Alice is locked in your room down here, trying to, uh, kinda sort through what she's seeing, trying to get some useful information. Personally, I think she deserves some kind of freaking award or something. She's really taking it for the team right now, ya know?"

"What are you doing down here?"

Another crash came, and the sound of tearing. Esme groaned in dismay.

Emmett rolled his eyes. "Do YOU want to go up there right now? I mean, we had to stay here - nobody was to be left alone, and all that. So, I had to stay with Alice - she needs to be doing what she's doing. And Rosie, well, I couldn't let her go off into the woods to destroy the trees and shit. So, she's taking it out on the upstairs - sorry about that, Esme, it's the best I could do. I'm down here making sure she doesn't move it downstairs. At least YOUR room'll be safe. MY bed was the first thing out the window - I'm telling you, do NOT make the mistake of saying anything remotely in support of the new lovebirds."

"Lovebirds?" Carlisle asked.

What was clearly a door came off its hinges above them, followed by the sound of more glass breaking. All three pairs of eyes went to the ceiling.

"Dare I ask about the bathtubs on my front lawn?" Esme asked.

"Yeah...about that...That's sort of my fault."

"YOUR fault?" Esme dropped her eyes to glare at him. "YOU threw the bathtubs through the windows?"

"NO! No...I just, well, evidently Jasper and Bella, well, they're, um..." Emmett dropped his voice so low that Carlisle and Esme had to lean in to hear him. "They seem to like, well, they're enjoying some hot springs...and I sort of may have said maybe we should buy a hot tub for them when they finally get back. And, well, I think Rosalie kinda disagreed with that idea...and threw all the bathtubs out."

They could hear the tearing of metal and then another breaking window and a thud in the backyard.

"I think that might have been our sink," Emmett observed. "Anyway, there's going to be some water damage, but I think I made it out and got the main line turned off quick enough...of course, what was in the lines drained out...the ceiling in the kitchen's definitely gotta be replaced, and I think the study may have taken some damage, but only right over your desk, Carlisle..."

Esme's eyes narrowed dangerously. "That's it," she growled. She pointed at Emmett. "YOU," she pointed at Emmett, "take your sister and go for a drive. Take her to the lake, take her to the beach, hell, take her to the top of a mountain, and let her have her visions there. YOU," she jabbed at Carlisle's chest, "upstairs with me. Right now. I've had enough of this shit."

Emmett's eyes widened. He could honestly say he'd never heard Esme curse before. Hell, he didn't think she'd ever even said 'shoot' or 'darn'. He stood up. "Hey, I can deal with Rosie, Esme, now that you're home to keep an eye on Alice."

"No, Emmett, I think that since Rosalie is insisting on acting like a six-year old throwing a temper tantrum, what she needs is her parents, not her husband. You do as I say. Do you understand?" Esme glared at him, daring him to contradict her.

Emmett glanced at Carlisle, who held up both hands, palms out, and stepped back, indicating he wasn't about to cross his mate. Emmett sighed and nodded. "Yes, ma'am." He turned and hopped over the couch and disappeared down the hall.

A moment later Carlisle and Esme heard the sliding door to their deck open, and knew Emmett and Alice were gone. They turned and exchanged one last look, silently communicating in the way only parents could, before going upstairs together to confront their oldest daughter.

* * *

When Emmett and Alice returned from their outing a few hours later, the bathtubs and other articles of furniture and household detritus were gone from the front and backyards. The glass was cleaned up, and plywood had been nailed over the broken windows.

"It looks like us," Alice said sadly, staring at the house, "broken and falling apart."

Emmett nodded. "It does. But we can fix the house, Alice. And we can fix the family."

"Can we?" she asked, turning to him. "Tell me we can."

"We can," Emmett said firmly. "I know we can. We're NOT letting anybody get the best of us, Alice. We'll get our shit together."

"We're not doing a very good job of it yet," she said, turning back to the house.

"No, we're not," Emmett agreed. "But, you know, we're learning. We'll figure it out, you'll see." He grinned at her, pleased with his cleverness.

She laughed. "I'll hold you to that, Emmett! Well..." she sighed, "I guess we better go inside and see what's gone on while we were out."

Alice never did find out everything that went on while they were gone. She'd been too wrapped up in her visions of Jasper and Bella to see anything that happened at the house. If Rosalie told Emmett, he didn't bother to share the details with her. Carlisle and Esme also made no reference to it, other than saying that they would all have to go into town together to pick up the building supplies when they arrived in a few days. That, and the fact that Rosalie did most of the house repair on her own, without even Emmett helping, was the only indication that something unusual had taken place. Alice sighed and thought about the good old days, when there were no secrets in the family. Then she decided that, all in all, she was more than happy not knowing the nitty gritty details of Carlisle and Esme's parenting techniques. She'd been on the receiving end once recently, and she had no desire to be there ever again.

She continued to have visions of Jasper and Bella over the next few weeks. She had, however, quickly learned to not say anything while Rosalie was around. Under normal circumstances, she probably wouldn't have seen them at all, since they did not seem to involve major decisions of any sort. In fact, most of her visions involved her two siblings deciding to reposition themselves in various ways in the hot springs they'd seemed to have taken up permanent residence in. But she was making a deliberate effort in searching them out, tuning in to, as Emmett had so elegantly put it, the Jasper/Bella Porn Channel. She would then pass on anything she thought might be useful to Carlisle while Emmett had Rosalie out of the house, or she would go hunting with Carlisle and Esme and tell them then. She never again made the mistake of mentioning them within Rose's hearing.

Rosalie seemed to have decided that Alice was to blame for what Rosalie said was "so easily accepting the loss of your mate, just letting him run straight into the arms of another woman." Alice, of course, knew that no matter what she said, she wouldn't be able to change Rosalie's mind, so she said nothing. Rosalie needed something to lash out at in her fear, and Alice, apparently, however unfairly, had become her chosen target.

One afternoon, however, her visions shifted, and she cried out in surprise. She was in the living room when it happened, squeezed on the couch between Emmett, Rosalie, and Esme, watching a movie. Rosalie stiffened on the couch, ready, no doubt, to react with her typical negativity, but Emmett grabbed her hand and squeezed it. She relaxed, but she couldn't stop herself from turning away from Alice, a glare on her face. Part of Alice noticed the glare and it made her sad.

"Alice?" Esme asked, her eyes darting to the front door, silently asking if the dark-haired girl wanted to go outside to talk.

"It's not them," Alice whispered, and Carlisle was instantly in the room with them, having been working in his study while they watched the movie. "It's the Volturi."

Emmett cursed, and as a sign of how upset she was regarding Alice's latest vision, Esme didn't scold him. Carlisle came and knelt on the floor in front of Alice, taking both of her hands in his.

"What is it? What did you see?"

She smiled slightly, recognizing his doctor's bedside manner. Not as soothing as Jasper would have been for her in this situation, but it would have to do.

"It was just a glimpse. I haven't seen anything about them since...Demetri and Jane's visit. Until just now, that is. I saw all three of the brothers - Aro, Caius, and Marcus. They were arguing..."

"Arguing? With each other?" Carlisle sounded surprised. "About what? Could you tell?"

"It was just a glimpse. Aro was yelling at Caius and Marcus, accusing them of using the guard for their own ends, ranting that every time he turned around and needed somebody, he finds out that they've been sent off on some errand by one of the other brothers. He seemed particularly mad at Marcus...he was standing there, right in his face, screaming at him...and this is weird, he reached out to grab him, and Marcus backed away..."

"Really?" Carlisle asked, even more surprised. All of them recognized the implications of that immediately. "Did Marcus say anything?"

"He said, 'Forgive me, brother' – and he kind of sneered it when he said it - 'but I was merely sending Demetri after the one who stole our plane. I was going to tell you about it, but I had not gotten around to it.' And Aro looked at HIM and sneered, but didn't say anything, He reached out again, but Marcus kind of dodged his hand again, and walked away, like he was pretending he didn't see Aro reach for him."

"And Aro let him get away with that?" Esme asked, glancing from Alice to shrugged. "Marcus and Caius are his brothers, not members of the guard. Aro can't really force them to submit to his touch. At least, he's not willing to force them to. It IS highly unusual for them to refuse the bond like that. I've never known it to happen before...it's not like they could hide something forever. Aro will eventually find out what's in his mind. The fact that Marcus walked away from him, refusing to touch him, disturbs me more than whatever they were talking about...although it gives us more information on our pilot friend in Anchorage."

"He stole the Volturi's plane?" Emmett asked, puzzled. "Why would he do that? And what did he do with a learjet? That's not something you can easily hide - and you can't really sneak a plane into the country, not any more."

"He probably ditched the plane," Rosalie said, speaking up for the first time in a long time with something positive to add to the conversation. "It's probably at the bottom of the ocean. He just used it to get here, to get away from them."

"Maybe..." Carlisle said thoughtfully. "But, why steal THEIR plane?"

Rosalie shrugged. "Why not? Maybe he was pissed at them. If I had to choose between some human's plane, and theirs, I'd steal theirs. Just to piss them off."

"Well, look where it got him," Emmett pointed out. "Not a very smart move on his part. He should have flown coach. Then they never would have known about him."

"I don't know," Carlisle said. "I'm starting to think there's more to this whole pilot thing. Alice, you said they were all arguing. What were Aro and Caius arguing about – the same thing?"

Alice shook her head. "No. After Marcus left, Aro turned to Caius and asked him if HE wanted to leave, too. I saw Caius offer his hand to Aro, and after a moment, Aro started yelling at him about..." she paused and looked at them all for a moment, "about sending Chelsea off without them all agreeing to it. About using Chelsea and her abilities for his own ends. About..." she shut her eyes for a moment, then opened them again and took a deep breath. "About using her against his old friend, Carlisle. Caius said...Caius shouted back that somebody had to do something about us, and if Aro wasn't willing to because he'd grown too soft, then it was up to Caius. Then he stomped out, too. That's where it ended."

Carlisle closed his eyes, pain written on his face. It was his worst fear. It was one thing to suspect his old friends were behind his family's pain, it was another thing to have it confirmed. "Did he say anything – anything at all – about Edward and Bella? Anything to indicate they're behind his death? Or her disappearance?" he asked hoarsely.

Alice shook her head slowly. "There were no other names mentioned. Just Chelsea's. And yours."

"Do you think they know Bella is alive?" Esme asked Carlisle.

"I don't know...I hope not. It would be best, right now, if they think she's dead. But, Chelsea – she surely would have told Caius that she had been successful, to some extent, when she came here. And, she would no doubt have told him that Jasper – and Alice – appeared to be going SOMEWHERE. Which means Aro knows now. But, what the hell is Marcus doing? I don't understand...I just don't understand any of this. But I know I don't like it."

* * *

A/N1:

So, there ya go - a couple of answers for you. Well, semi-answers. Sort-a, kind-a.  
Sorry, nobody ever gets to know what Carlisle and Esme said to Rosalie. I like to think they're better parents than me, and I don't know what I would have said!

A/N 2:

Due to popular request...Emmett's looking for submissions for "The Vampires Book of World Records". I was going to write it all myself, but then thought "why should I be that selfish? I'm sure plenty of people out there have better ideas than me!" Sooo....

Write something up. It can funny. It can be dark. It can be lemony, it can be gross. These are vampires, folks, remember that. They've been around for a long time, and they aren't all as nice as our Cullen's. I'll include them all in a 'one shot'. Send them to me by PM – I'll make sure you're given proper credit. Also - make sure you also tell me which vampire is 'submitting' the record! Use one of SM's characters, or make up your own. Emmett has, to the best of our knowledge, never had much of a chance to chat casually with any of the Volturi ("Running" broke away from "Breaking Dawn" without conception occurring between B&E) - but they could have always sent him a post card. Try to keep it in character if it is by one of SM's established characters. And keep it in canon with her universe as much as possible.

I guess, in all fairness, Emmett would be willing to include things from the Quillute shape shifters. He was on pretty good terms with them after the fight with Victoria in Eclipse, and probably would have shared his book with them before the Cullen's left for Alaska for Bella's change.

My only stipulation is, nothing by Bella or Jasper. And Emmett reserves the right to not publish submitted entries...although he'll let you know if he's not going to use your submission.


	23. Chapter 23

A/N: SM Owns the characters.

Jasper thought that certain aspects of their hot springs stay were terribly under-represented...

Oh, yeah - I'm dedicating THIS chapter to Thirsty Thursdays over at ALASL. Especially the one on March 11.

Chapter 23

As the truck bounced along what had to be the worst road Jasper had ever been on, he reflected on the fact that it was also shaping up to be one of the shittiest road trips he'd ever been on. Bella had closed her shield down tight, and she hadn't spoken at all either for the past hour or so. No music. No conversation. No shocks on the truck. No way to relax without falling off the top of the damn truck. Just fucking wonderful.

In spite of the need to maintain some sort of hold on the bouncing truck, Jasper found himself drifting off in a daydream, going over some of the more pleasant aspects of the past several weeks with Bella.

_Jasper had quickly discovered that while she was definitely passionate, and aggressive in a way Alice had never been, Bella was extremely inexperienced when it came to lovemaking. THAT was something he had been more than happy to change. She was also not very comfortable at first with being totally submerged under water. She just couldn't seem to accept the idea of breathing the water in, and telling her it should come naturally didn't help at all. Jasper had wondered how she'd ever managed to make it across to the mainland from the peninsula. He'd found out that it had involved a lot of floundering about on her part, and her journey had taken considerably longer than his own had. She might have swam better than the wolves could, but not by much. In fact, they'd discovered that she had probably only exited the water a few hours before him - just further to the south. After a day or so, though, with her partially-lowered shield allowing him to help out, she'd relaxed enough to lie quietly at the bottom of the pool, not moving or trying to breath. He'd thought she'd finally gotten the hang of it, but he'd been wrong..._

_The problems began when Jasper had started kissing her. Actually, no, the kissing had gone alright. The caressing had gone pretty well, too. But when he'd kissed his way down her torso, finally ending up with his head between her legs, all hell broke loose. She'd evidently tried to squeal, and then panicked when the water had poured into her lungs. She pushed away from him and struggled to the surface, flailing her arms, coughing and sputtering._

"_What the hell are you doing?" she finally managed to spit out, along with what seemed like a gallon of water._

"_I think it's called cunnilingus," Jasper said. "What the hell are YOU doing? I usually don't get that reaction with that move!"_

"_Jesus Christ!" she continued to yell. "I know what it's called! I just...Oh, my God, I'm so embarrassed!"_

_She was. Jasper could feel it. She was still leaving her shield open a little bit for him, and he was immensely thankful for that._

"_Bella, it's okay," he said, trying to salvage some of his own dignity and calm her down at the same time. "I'm sorry...did you not like it? I won't do it again..." Dammit, Jasper, he thought to himself – you shouldn't make promises you won't be able to keep._

"_No! I mean, yes, I liked it. No, you don't have to not do it again. I just, I just...Edward never..." she trailed off, even more embarrassed now._

_Ah ha, Jasper thought. So. THAT should come as no surprise to him. He knew his Victorian Era brother well enough, so he should have known that perhaps he and Bella had not been very adventurous in bed. Not to mention the fact that Edward had only had three months - three months! - with a NEWBORN to come to terms with his own sexual nature. Well, Jasper was just going to have to fix that._

"_Okay, that's okay, babe. Look, why don't we try it again, with your head above the water this time?"_

"_I'm not very good at floating," Bella said._

_Jesus Christ. "Okay, well, we can move into the shallower waters. You can lie down and I'll..."_

"_Out here?" She looked around. "People could SEE us!"_

_Oh, for fuck's sake. "That didn't bother you a couple of days ago, Bella. Look, do you just not want to..." He felt her shield starting to go up._

"_I want to," she said hastily. "I just...I don't feel SAFE out here..."_

_Of course. He remembered that, vaguely, from his days as a human. Girls – well, most girls – seemed to respond better if they felt safe. It had never figured much into his life and interactions as a vampire, though. But Bella...she was still close to her human nature. And she'd been through a lot. So, if she wanted safe, he'd give her safe. And they could work from there. He'd have her willing to scream his name out on Main Street, USA before he was done with her. _

_Knowing that pointing out nothing was safer than fucking six feet underwater was not an option, Jasper looked around for a better alternative. He eyed the waterfall, and then started swimming for it. As he passed Bella, he grabbed her wrist and dragged her after him. She lay passively in the water, allowing him to drag her along, and he noted that she seemed to be doing a fine job of floating right now. Of course, there wasn't much...stimulation...happening right now, either._

_It turned out that the ledge she had stood on under the falling water that first day only extended part of the way across the falls. The ledge dropped off into a deep cleft, and the crack extended back behind the falls, where there was a small grotto and the water became shallow again, only about knee-deep. The perfect depth, Jasper thought, and the perfect setup for so many things he could do to her. For her. And she couldn't say it wasn't safe. He stood up in water that came up to his chest, and pulled her upright next to him._

"_Safe enough for you?" he asked, pulling her close and kissing her._

"_Uh huh," she answered, closing her eyes and relaxing in pleasure, her shield dropping to the level it had been a few minutes before._

"_Shall we try that again?" he whispered in her ear, before nipping at her ear lobe, and then dragging his teeth down her neck and nipping again at her shoulder._

"_U__h huh."_

"_That's my girl." He backed her up slowly until her legs hit the low ledge, and then he pushed on her shoulders gently until she sat down. "Now," he said, punctuating each word with a kiss, "just," kiss, "lay," kiss, "back," kiss, "and," kiss, "relax"._

_Bella lay back, but relaxing was evidently out of the question. _

On top of the truck, Jasper smiled at the memory. It had turned out that Bella was a screamer. And a thrasher. Funny, he hadn't noticed that when she and Edward had....

He stopped that line of thought right there. It did not befit him to think ill of the dead. Or, at least, to think LESS of the dead. Edward and Bella had been...Edward and Bella. But now she was just Bella. And if he was lucky, they could become Jasper and Bella.

He glanced at Bella, but she was still playing silent. Maybe, he thought, she, too, was remembering their time together. He liked to think so. With a sigh, he drifted back into his own memories.

_He leaned over her as she lay in the shallow water, kneeling between her legs. He kissed her gently until she relaxed, then he slowly kissed his way down her body. He refrained from pushing any of his own feelings of lust at her, wanting her to experience her own emotions for the moment. He worked his way downward, bypassing her breasts – which brought a disappointed sort of moan from her – and he worked his way down the outside of her hip, down to her knees, alternating kisses between each leg. He scooted back so he was kneeling in deeper waters, dragging her with him as he went, until her bottom rested on the edge of the ledge, and her knees were hooked over his shoulders._

_He slowly worked his tongue back up again, alternating between legs, until she was moaning in earnest. The scent of her arousal was driving him mad. When his tongue finally reached the juncture of her legs, he paused for a moment. This brought out an even more frustrated sound, and Bella grasped at his hair, trying to force his head closer. He resisted for a moment, but then lowered his head and licked her along her slit, finishing up by circling her clit with his tongue._

_She promptly responded with a squeal and a kick to his back that made him wince in pain._

"_JESUS, woman!" he yelled, pulling back. "What the hell was that? Can you not be still for just a few minutes!?!?"_

"_I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" she said, leaning up on her elbows. "I couldn't help it!"_

"_Well, TRY, dammit! I'm trying to impress you here, and I'm getting beat up for it!"_

"_I'm sorry! I can't help it! It feels so good – I can't just be still! I'll do better, I promise!"_

"_Alright," Jasper growled, lifting her legs off his shoulders and wrapping one of his arms around each leg, holding her lower half – at least the part with knees and heels – immobile. He glared up at her again, and she giggled, leaning backwards._

_He noticed the whole exchange hadn't changed the way SHE was feeling, and he smiled against the inside of her thigh. However odd her reaction was, she definitely liked what he was doing. _

In fact, it had turned out that Bella had pretty much liked everything Jasper had done.

_After the moose incident, Jasper had tried to convince Bella to try making love underwater again. She'd reluctantly agreed to try – but the whole process required having to convince her to let the water fill her up. It had taken almost an entire day, and Jasper was almost ready to give up on the process. Some things, he decided, weren't worth the effort. Perhaps making love to Bella underwater was one of them. He'd relax her, she'd start to breathe in, she'd panic, her shield would go up, she'd surface - kicking and spitting up water, and they'd start the whole process over again._

_But at some point in the middle of the night, something finally clicked. This time, when she breathed the water in, she didn't panic. She let Jasper's calmness fill her up, along with the water, and soon they were twined around each other. _

_Making love in a pool of super-heated water like this was one of Jasper's favorite things to do. In fact, he had yet to meet a vampire who, once having tried it, didn't revel in the sensation. The memories of human warmth that it seemed to trigger, however vague, probably played a part in it. He was determined that Bella enjoy it as much as he did, and from the way she was moving - and her emotions - she certainly seemed to be. He wanted so much to share his lust with her, to spin their shared emotions around them as he had their first time making love, but he wanted everything she felt right now to be all hers._

_She moved slow and awkwardly at first, trying to get used to the underwater movement since she didn't have anything to brace herself on. She finally settled for wrapping her legs around his waist, holding him steady with her thighs, and driving her heels into his ass to set a rhythm she seemed to like. She held on to his shoulders with both hands, while he gripped her hips with his own hands. He could tell both by the way her movements had sped up and become more spastic, and by her emotions, that she was getting close to the edge. Suddenly, she yanked him closer and bit down hard on his shoulder, her muscles spasming around his cock with her orgasm. The pain of the bite shocked him, but the rest of his body was too interested in what was going on elsewhere, and he quickly joined her with his own powerful release. A few moments later, though, they surfaced._

_They both spit out what had to be a couple of gallons of water, Bella's regurgitation looking considerably more traumatic than Jasper's own practiced draining._  
_  
"Oh, God! I'm so sorry, Jasper. Your shoulder – is it okay? I didn't mean to..."_

"_Don't worry about it," Jasper said, rubbing his already healing shoulder ruefully, turning his head to try and see the bite mark. "Hey, I think you managed to cover up the scar from the last time you bit me..."_

"_UGH – don't remind me! I don't know what came over me..."_

"_Really? I'd have thought you would have figured that out by now. Really, it's no big deal, Bella. It happens. With vampires, it happens quite a bit. You just need to...tone down that bite. Just a little. If you could."_

"_I'll try," she said quietly, feeling embarrassed - embarrassed, but more than a little smug and content._

"_So...what did you think of making love underwater?" he asked, pulling her closer to him and running his hands up and down her back._

"_It was...kinda creepy."_

"_Creepy?" He pushed her back a little to get a good look at her face. "Creepy? Why would __you say THAT?"_

"_Well, it was so...quiet. I kept yelling, and no sound was coming out...it creeped me out."_

"_You need air to make sound, Bella. If you want sound, we'll need to NOT take in water. And you'll need to NOT act like you're drowning when we're halfway through. I'm not sure you can handle that..."_

_Bella smacked him lightly on his shoulder. "Oh, yeah? Is that a challenge?"_

Jasper sighed in pleasure at the memories. He felt Bella's glance fall upon him, but he ignored her. Two could play at that game.

Being able to make noises underwater while they'd loved each other hadn't gone well. Bella had ended up laughing, then getting angry at Jasper when he told her what HE'D thought about the whole thing.

"_I'm sorry, Bella. But you did. You sounded like a whale."_

"_A WHALE?" Her shield slammed up, but Jasper was laughing too hard to care._

"_Oh, PLEASE!" he said between gasps, falling backwards in the shallow water. "YOU started laughing first. Don't tell me you didn't find that shit funny!"_

_She sat down next to him, but turned her back on him, her shield still up. _

"_Come on, baby," he cooed, rolling on his side. He stopped laughing and started trailing a finger up and down her spine. She continued to ignore him, so he scooted closer and started kissing his way over her back, paying special attention to her scars. He'd discovered earlier that she liked the way it felt when he licked them, and he made sure to carefully trace each one with his tongue. She shivered in response, and he felt her shield come down. He smiled against her back, then grabbed her around her waist and pulled her to him._

"_It WAS funny, wasn't it?" she whispered._

"_It WAS," he replied._

After that, they avoided making love while completely submerged for a while. There were plenty of other ways for them to make love, and they set about trying them all. By the end of their stay, they were even able to make love underwater again, without the dramatics getting in the way anymore. Bella had never quite been able to stop biting him when she came, but at least she'd stopped breaking his skin every time. Jasper had had to accept that as progress.

The truck hit a particularly rough spot in the road and it jolted Jasper out of his reverie. To his dismay, Bella was watching him - a hint of a smile on her lips. He looked at her and grinned, and shrugged his shoulders. She turned away then, and his smile fell. So. She didn't want to talk yet. Fine. He could go back to his fantasies. That was fine with him. His mind wandered again, going back over one of his more favorite moments in the hot springs.

_Bella looked at him from where she knelt between his legs. "Like this?" she purred, and she licked him from the base of his cock to the tip, pausing briefly to swirl her tongue around the tip several times before taking him into her mouth. She slowly lowered her head again._

_Jasper fell back onto the rock ledge and groaned. "Oh, yeah. Like that."_

_Through the fog of pleasure, Jasper had the thought that perhaps he should pull her up with him and swing her around, so they could pleasure each other like this. Another trick he could show her..._

_Visions of Bella thrashing and screaming while he licked her flashed through his head, followed quickly by memories of her habit of biting down on his shoulder while she orgasmed. Okay, scratch that. For the sake of his second-in-command remaining firmly attached to his body, that would be one activity they would just have to forgo...maybe for a long, long time. _

_He was starting to think that Edward's apparent fascination with the missionary position had nothing to do with inexperience, and a whole lot to do with self preservation._

_Bella brought her hands up. She grasped his ass with one hand, evidently feeling the need for some sort of leverage while she continued to work her mouth up and down his length. With her other hand, she started to gently squeeze his balls. Jesus. For somebody who had never done this before, she certainly was doing a fine job. Now, if only he could get her to..._

**Thud.** For a moment - a split second that felt like an eternity - he didn't know what had happened.

When he figured it out, he wished he hadn't.

He'd fallen off the truck and landed on his back in the snow, in the middle of the road. Even a damn cat would have landed on its feet.

Worse, there was a witness. A witness who was now standing over him, looking worried.

"Are you alright, Jasper? What happened?"

"What did it look like happened?" he growled, jumping to his feet and brushing snow off his backside.

"Well, it LOOKED like you just fell of the truck," she said, trying unsuccessfully to hide a smile. "But I KNOW that can't be it. I mean, how could a vampire have fallen off? It was a bumpy ride, but not THAT bumpy. It's not like you fell asleep or something..." her voice trailed off and she looked at him closer. "Oh, my God. Did you fall asleep?"

"Don't be stupid, Bella. Vampires don't sleep," Jasper snapped. "I was just...my mind was elsewhere. Alright? Let's just leave it at that."

"Don't call ME stupid, Jasper Hale," she snapped right back. "I'm not the one who fell off the truck. And what could have been so damn distracting that - OH!"

She didn't bother trying to hide her smile now, but Jasper couldn't tell what she found amusing. Him falling off the truck? Or what he'd been thinking about WHEN he'd fallen off the truck? Had she even guessed what he'd been daydreaming about? He sure as hell couldn't tell, not with her shield up - which just pissed him off further.

"Yeah, well, if you'd TALK to me, maybe it wouldn't have happened at all."

"Well, I'm sorry - I didn't realize my willingness to carry on a conversation would have had such a profound effect on your innate ability to remain on a moving vehicle."

He didn't need his powers to tell she'd gone from amused to pissed off, and that suited him just fine. He was suddenly in the mood to fight.

"You know, it's not just about you talking to me, Isabella..."

"Okay, my ability to ENTERTAIN you in general," she snapped, interrupting him.

He ignored the interruption and continued with his rant. "And another thing - I keep telling you this whole damn thing - this trip, this MISSION thing of yours - would be easier if you'd let your shield down for me. I feel like I'm running blind here."

"I TOLD you why I can't do that! Why does EVERY conversation with you come back to that?"

"Excuse me for finding that difficult to believe, Bella - your shield's been down for the last two and a half months! And my conversations 'come back to that' because it's IMPORTANT!"

"I felt SAFE there at the hot springs!" she shouted .

"You're safe NOW!" he shouted back. "I'll ALWAYS keep you safe!"

"Well, excuse ME for finding THAT difficult for ME to believe, Jasper! YOU just fell off a damn truck because YOU weren't paying attention! How is THAT supposed to make me feel safe?"

He stared at her for a moment, and then burst into laughter. She stared back at him in shock, but after a minute joined in.

"Well," she said, when they'd finally stopped laughing a few minutes later, "that was..."

"Cathartic."

"Not the word I was looking for - but yes, sort of. Where did that even COME from?"

"Stress, Bella. You needed to say it. I needed to say it. We probably have a lot more where that came from... But let's walk while we talk, okay?"

"Should we catch up with the truck?" she asked him, looking down the road to where the headlights had disappeared already.

"Nah. We can probably catch up if we need to, or another one will come along. I'm not too worried about it. It's too late to change the fact that our scent is all over the ground here. I think we'd be better off walking right now...and you probably need to feed again anyway, right?"

The hot springs would have been the perfect place for them to be having this conversation, but such was life. Things never happened the way they should. Their time at the hot springs had been all about living in the moment, and it had done wonders for Bella's recovery. Now, though, here on this snowy road in the middle of nowhere, was the time to talk. And if it took Jasper falling off a truck and making an ass out of himself...well, so be it.

"Look, about my shield..." she started.

"Don't worry about it. I do understand your reasons. I just need you to know how frustrating it is for me. And that I feel like I can't do as good a job of...um...helping you, when it is up."

She nodded and they walked a ways in silence.

"I do need to feed again," Bella finally said, breaking the silence.

"I figured as much."

"This is driving me nuts."

"Yeah, me too. You know what to do to change that..."

"Nice try, Jasper."

"Can't blame me for trying!"

"So....what'll it take for you to not mention this whole thing?" he finally asked her after a few more minutes of walking in silence.

"What, you falling off the truck? I'd say we're kind of even - I won't mention you falling off the truck, and you won't mention the whole moose-tossing/landing on my butt in the water incident."

Jasper hesitated. Should he go with honesty as the best policy, or should he try to ensure that his reputation remained intact with his family?

"Um, Bella, you should probably know..." He hesitated for a moment - really, really wanting to go with saving his reputation. "They probably already know about the whole moose thing."

Bella stopped walking and turned to stare at him. "What? How...OH! Alice?" Horror swept across her features...

"Now, I'm just guessing here, but...um...we think - that is, Carlisle thinks - but I agree- that your shield is partially responsible for Alice not being able to see you. Us. Of course, I haven't talkted to him since I found you, so I can't say for sure..."

"And when my shield is down...even a little bit?"

"Even a little bit..."

"She can see us?"

Jasper hesitated again before nodding. "Yes. Maybe."

"Which means..."

"Yes."

Bella sat down in the snow. "Oh, my God. She'll never forgive me..."

"Forgive you?" Jasper squatted down beside her. "For what?"

"For what? JASPER! You KNOW what we were doing most of the time my shield was down!"

"Well, yes – but I'm sure she stopped watching. Alice has always been very mindful of everyone's privacy that way."

Bella looked at him like he'd lost his mind.

"Bella, I told you, you don't have to worry about that. There's NOTHING to worry about."

"I know you SAY that. But Jasper, I just find it hard to understand...it's only been a few months..."

"Isabella!" he cut off her rant. "Stop this. Right. Now. I told you. You have NOTHING to worry about with Alice. She is absolutely NOT going to hate you, or hold this against you, or anything like that."

"But how can you be sure?"

"I think I know her pretty well. We were together for sixty years..."

Bella let out a wail and started pulling on her hair. "Exactly!'

Shit. Nice choice of words, Jasper, he thought to himself. He reached over and pulled her to him, in spite of her struggles. "Bella." he whispered, holding her tight and stroking her hair. "Bella, Bella, Bella. Stop this. Believe me – WE have nothing to worry about. Not from that front, at least. We have plenty of other shit to worry about – don't start imagining problems where there aren't any. We'll have no problems at all with our family. Okay? Can you just trust me on that?"

She didn't answer him, but she did snuggle in to him and stopped struggling. "Yeah, well...in that case, what are you going to give me to keep my mouth shut about the great Jasper Hale falling off the wagon?"

Jasper laughed. "I've fallen off the wagon quite a few times, Bella. THAT won't surprise my– our – family at all."

She gave him a shove. "You KNOW what I mean!"

"Yeah, well...what do YOU want for your silence?"

"Hmmm... I don't know. But I'll come up with something and let you know."

"Sounds good. Now, shall we find something for you to eat, and then see if we can catch another ride?""

"Sure. And...Jasper?"

"Yes, Isabella?"

"Are you going to tell me what had you so distracted in the first place?"

"Um...no. Not right now. Maybe later."

* * *

A/N: So, you didn't REALLY think all those lemons were written in a stress free environment did you? Of course they weren't. I'm only interrupted and distracted when I'm writing lemons, it seems. Or, at least, the only really INTERESTING interruptions occur when I'm writing lemons. For this chapter, they were of more...secular...nature.

I kicked things off with a neighborhood cat going in to heat (a wee bit early in the season, as it was early January at the time), in our carport, at around midnight - at about the same time Bella starting squeeling and choking. I don't know what was funnier - the cat yowling her readiness to the whole neighborhood, or my daughter flying out of her bedroom screaming that someone was being murdered in the carport. Actually, I guess the funniest part was my husband stumbling around outside in the dark, half-asleep, trying to break up the festivities taking place on the hood of his car. Did you know that under the right circumstances, cat claws can leave scratches in a car's paint job?

The rest of the chapter was written at the coffee shop - it's amazing, after the first one or two you write, lemons get easier. Sort of. The writing was flowing pretty good until the drive-by shooting took place. Then I was kind of distracted. Nobody was hurt, and the police decided it was a pellet gun of some kind. But the guy who was standing there when the pellets started ricochetting off the brick wall of the patio outside was a little upset. It was all very exciting. But I kept on writing (once I was done giving my statement).

Will there be more lemons? I really don't know at this point! :)


	24. Chapter 24

A/N SM Owns the characters. I thought up things to do with them. JaspersDestiny makes sure it makes sense and looks good.

Chapter 24

Bella and Jasper had quickly found a herd of reindeer and fed before returning to the road. Bella refused to jump on either of the first two trucks that drove by, aggravating Jasper to no end. It wasn't like there were too many vehicles on the road to begin with, and for her to start being particular just made things worse. But she wouldn't ride on top of anything, and she insisted they wait until something that had an open back came by. Since he had been the one to fall off the truck, Jasper felt he could hardly argue with her.

Eventually, a large canvas-covered truck rumbled by, the rear of the canvas easily torn enough for them to slip inside. After traveling for several hours, the truck pulled into the outskirts of what had to be Yakutsk. It was dark again, so they stayed inside until it got closer to the city center. It had started snowing at twilight, and it was coming down fairly hard by the time they leapt from the truck. The streets were deserted.

They flitted into an alleyway, although there was no need to hide in the shadows - there were no street lights in this part of town.

"Should we have eaten again before coming into town?" Bella asked, worried. "I'm feeling thirsty... and if we're going to have to be around people..."

"Not a problem. We can eat here. Or, rather, YOU can eat here. I'm still full from the reindeer," he said, looking around, eyes narrowed. He couldn't see the moon in the sky because of the snow storm, but he knew it was close to full. Dangerously close.

"Here?" She looked around. "In town? You don't mean..."

"Not people, Bella," he said, cutting her off. "Dogs."

"Dogs?" she said, sounding revolted.

"It's not much different than wolf, Bella. It's not something we normally eat, you know – neighbors start to get suspicious if the pets start disappearing. Even if it wouldn't occur to them that we're EATING them – they sure as hell would be quick to accuse us of poisoning them or shooting them. There are loose dogs here in town. I smelled them as we drove through. They would most likely die during the winter here."

She started laughing.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

"Oh, just...you know, well, probably you don't, but people always joke about Chinese restaurants serving dog and cat. And here we are, close to China, eating dog ...I don't know, it just seemed funny. So, this is kind of like exotic food, right? Exotic food for vampires?" She laughed harder. "Should we have Chihuahua? Or maybe Alsatian?"

Jasper rolled his eyes. "I think we'll - you'll - be having Shepherd-based mutt, if you must know. Now – shall we hunt, and then get ourselves some clothes?"

"Lead on, McDuff," she said, gesturing for him to go first. "I bow to your expertise in this area. Teach me the finer points of urban hunting."

"The FIRST point," he said, leaning in close to her and grabbing her face, forcing her to look at him, "is to NOT let yourself get lost in the hunt. It is VERY difficult to hunt in an urban area. We don't like doing it. But I'm in a hurry, and we're in danger." He leaned in to kiss her, and she returned the kiss enthusiastically. "Not now, Bella," he whispered in regret, pulling back, and she groaned - a groan that he echoed, if silently. "Think of it more as shopping. We are shopping, NOT hunting."

"Shopping," she whispered, staring at his lips.

"Shopping," he confirmed, pulling back completely. He took her hand and led her out of the alleyway, walking casually along the street, keeping close to the buildings and away from the street. There were no sidewalks in this part of town, an area of warehouses.

It did not take long for him to pick up the fresh scent of a pack of dogs, on the prowl at night for rats and other types of food. They picked up their pace as they drew closer on the trail. It led through a broken door into one of the warehouses. "In here," he whispered. "There are no humans around..."

"I KNOW that," Bella whispered back, annoyed. "I'm not incompetent, Jasper."

"I KNOW that, Bella," he hissed back. "Good God, woman! I'm not making judgment calls on your vampire skills. I'm just saying ..." He stopped and sighed. "Okay, we'll go in and get them. Snap as many necks as you can first, then feed. Time is not on our side here."

"Right," she said, nodding, and then followed him into the building.

Half an hour later found her sated. The pack had been fairly large, seven dogs in all. This early in the winter, they'd still been in fairly good shape. They hid the bodies in a pile of garbage in the back of the building, and then emerged back on the street.

"Okay," Bella said, shaking herself a little bit. "Clothing?"

"Right," Jasper said, nodding. "Let's head toward the populated areas. Breaking into a store, I think, would be easiest. If we can steal some non-descript, clean clothes, then we can see about getting a room, cleaning up, and figuring out how we're getting to Irkutsk..." Bella looked at him blankly. "And the train," he added.

"Oh, yeah. The train." He could tell by the look on her face that she wasn't too sure about the train. She often kept her face completely blank of all emotions, but occasionally the old Bella would show through, and it really was not that difficult to read her, even without his ability. And the longer he was with her, the easier it was.

"It'll be fine, Bella. We'll fill up first, and then get a private compartment. It'll be fine. Easier than running. An adventure, on the Orient Express."

"It could end up being Murder on the Orient Express. Running is fun," she grumbled.

"It is," he agreed. "But you have places to go and things to do," he reminded her. "And the sooner you do them," - whatever they are, he thought silently - "the sooner WE can be free. And then I promise you, whatever you want, we'll do. If you want to run all the way back to the Pacific and then swim home to Alaska, that's what we'll do."

She looked at him. "What about the werewolves?"

"We'll run really fast and do it in three weeks," he said. "Whatever you want. I promise."

She laughed. "Okay. I believe you. Now, let's get some CLEAN clothes that don't smell quite so bad."

By the time they'd gotten to the city center, Bella had decided that Yakutsk was the ugliest city she'd ever seen. There'd been a few buildings that had beautiful architecture, but for the most part the construction seemed to be cheerless, concrete structures from the Communist era of impersonality and oppression. They had no problem finding a small store in a poorer-looking section of town and breaking in through the back door. They dressed from the skin out in all clean clothing, making sure to get plenty of cold weather gear, so as not to draw attention to themselves. The clothing, like the city they'd seen so far, was serviceable - boring, but serviceable. Jasper left some bills on the counter to cover the clothing and damages.

"Now we get a hotel room," Jasper told her, as they dumped their old clothing in an alley. "In a better part of town," he added, looking around. "There is a university here somewhere," he said. "If we can find it, we would perhaps draw less attention to ourselves."

"But my eyes..." Bella said.

"Are almost all gold," he reassured her. "I don't think they will draw attention at all. We'll get a hotel, get REALLY clean, and tomorrow we'll find a ride to Irkutsk."

"And call," she reminded him. "We need to call...Carlisle, at least."

"Yes," he agreed. "And call."

They actually found the university without too much trouble, and sure enough, there was a hotel nearby. Jasper led a very nervous Bella through the front doors, actually glad to see that it was not too late for there to be people still up and awake. There was a bar just off the lobby, and it was still quite crowded. "Smile," he whispered, giving her a quick one-armed hug. "We are a couple. We are here for a room. They won't question us if it appears we are together."

"We ARE here together," she told him, confused.

"Then stop looking scared," he said. "Smile. Laugh. We need to be a HAPPY couple."

Bella giggled, and Jasper thought she might have actually meant it, though he wasn't quite sure. He approached the desk, and in flawless Russian inquired into the availability of a room. The clerk assured him that they had several. Jasper produced a credit card and identification. The man didn't blink, taking both and quickly signing them in.

"Three days," Jasper whispered to Bella, so low the humans couldn't hear. "Doesn't mean we'll stay that long, but it might look suspicious if we had to keep adding nights. I told him we were here visiting the university. He believed me, no problem. Not even curious."

"Good," she whispered back.

Five minutes later they were in their room, on the 6th floor, their window overlooking the downtown area.

"I asked him about shopping," Jasper said. "He said there is a city market where we can get some nice things, he assured me."

"But we have clothes," Bella said, looking down at what she was wearing. "This is fine."

"Bella, it looked suspicious that we arrived here without luggage. I told him the airline lost it. Apparently," he grinned, "that is a problem here in Russia, too! We need to get some other things if we want to blend in. Right now we scream 'outsider'. If we look like we belong, and YOU keep your mouth shut, we'll pass for Russians. Maybe. So, we shop."

"Alright," she sighed. "We shop. But right now, we bathe. And then, we call."

The hot shower was not nearly as nice as their hot springs had been. Jasper had purchased a few things at the front desk to replace their 'lost' supplies. There was shampoo – of a generic variety, but shampoo nonetheless – and soap that attempted to be floral in scent. Bella seemed happy with it all, and Jasper was more than content to wash her hair for her, and then soap and rinse her body, lovingly washing every square inch, and paying special attention to his favorite parts. She sighed in pleasure and began making the sounds he had already come to love so much – small whimpers of delight that sent _shivers_ of delight through his own body. She even let her shield down a bit, allowing him to feel her pleasure. But when he pressed her up against the wall of the small shower stall, trying to take it further, she pushed him away. "First, we call."

He groaned in frustration, but agreed. It was just as well, for at that moment the hot water abruptly ran out. "Damn Red plumbing," he grumbled, but got out of the shower and got towels, carefully drying her hair, and then wrapping it up with one towel and wrapping another around her body. While he dried himself off, she pulled his new t-shirt over her torso. It hung mid-thigh on her, and he thought he'd never seen her look sexier. He grinned at her, pulling his boxers back on, and then tackled her onto the bed.

"Call," she said, rapping him sharply on the nose.

He looked shocked. "Did you just...I'm not a dog, Bella."

"You're ACTING like one," she said, grinning at him.

"Geez...I'll call, I'll call," he said, getting off the bed and going to retrieve the backpack. He dumped the contents on the bed and grabbed the phone, freeing it from its waterproof container. He turned it on and flipped it open. A moment later he grinned. "Houston, we have contact," he said happily.

Bella looked like she couldn't decide if she was happy or not.

"Ready?" he asked her, cocking an eyebrow at her.

She seemed to understand all the unspoken things in his question. Was she ready to re-establish contact with her family? Was she ready for possible questions about what happened? Was she ready to talk to Alice? There was so much she was NOT ready for, but she knew she couldn't put this off. It wouldn't get any easier.

"I'm here, Bella," Jasper told her softly. "I can't feel what you're feeling, so you'll have to tell me, but I'll help you. You don't have to do anything you don't want to do."

"No, I want to call to them," she said decisively. "I WANT to. It doesn't mean I'm not scared."

"It'll be okay, Bella. They're your family. They love you. They miss you. They're scared, too, Bella. If you talk to them, you'll feel better, I bet."

"I know. Call them, Jasper. I'm ready."

"Okay." He flipped the phone open and dialed.

The phone rang three times before Carlisle picked up. Jasper smiled to himself, wondering if the vampires on the other end of the line were as nervous as the ones on this end. Probably so.

"Jasper," Carlisle's voice came through the phone. Relief was not a strong enough word to use for what Jasper heard in his voice.

"Carlisle," he said. "I've got her."

Both he and Bella could hear their family through the phone - Emmett was whooping in the background, Rosalie was actually laughing, Alice squealed, Esme sounded like she was crying, and Carlisle...

"Thank God," Carlisle whispered, and Jasper knew that in Carlisle's case, that phrase meant more than just its words. "Is she..." he didn't - couldn't - finish his question.

"She's fine" Jasper said, making eye contact with Bella. He pointed to the phone and raised an eyebrow in silent inquiry. She nodded quickly. "Would you like to talk to her?" he asked.

"Yes," Carlisle whispered. "Please ..."

Jasper handed the phone to Bella, who took it hesitantly and put it to her ear.

"Bella?" Carlisle whispered.

"Carlisle? Dad?" Her voice broke.

"Bella." Her name was a sigh on his lips. "Oh, Bella, I'm so glad...we're so glad...so glad Jasper found you."

"Me, too," she continued to whisper.

"Are you...alright? Is Jasper taking care of you?" Esme asked. She must have taken the phone from Carlisle, and Jasper smiled, imagining the scene in his head.

"Jasper is taking good care of me," Bella assured her, smiling at Jasper. Jasper could hear their siblings snickering softly in the background, and rolled his eyes. Was any of that appropriate, under the circumstances?

"Are you coming home now?" Esme asked.

"Ummm..." Bella looked at Jasper. What should she tell Esme? Nobody on the other end of the phone was going to be happy with the truth. Jasper gestured for her to give him back the phone.

"Esme," he said. "Let me talk to Carlisle again." He heard her hand the phone back to Carlisle.

"Jasper, what is it?"

Jasper looked at Bella. "We're not coming back right away," he told their father. "Bella...Bella has some business she has to take care of, and I'm going to help her."

"Business?" Carlisle asked sharply. "What kind of business? You need to come home as quickly as possible."

"No," Jasper said firmly. "We don't. I don't know what kind of business, exactly. But she has something she needs to do, and she won't come home until she does it. And I'm not letting her do it by herself."

"Jasper, you need to make her see sense."

"I can't MAKE her do anything," Jasper retorted, starting to get aggravated. He'd been afraid the conversation would go this way, he just hadn't expected it to degenerate this quickly. Bella looked like she was starting to get agitated. Once again, he cursed his inability to get through her shield. This whole thing could get ugly quick.

"You have more experience with newborns than any of us. Are you telling me..."

Jasper cut him off. "First of all, she is NOT a newborn." Not really. He wouldn't mention her somewhat erratic behavior. "Second of all, I don't think you REALLY want me bringing that experience of mine to bear on your youngest daughter. In fact, I know you don't."

Carlisle groaned. "Please, Jasper. Just bring her home. You're in danger there." Carlisle had started to raise his voice, and on the bed, Bella was becoming more and more upset, shaking now as she sat huddled under his shirt.

Jasper snorted. "I KNOW we're danger. Believe me. We are very aware of our danger."

"I don't think you're aware of just how much, Jasper. We have new information that I need to tell you. That vampire that Demetri and Jane were looking for? They found him. His name was Antoine..."

At the sound of the name, Bella completely flipped out and started to keen in fear. "I'll call you back." Jasper snapped the phone shut, lunging for Bella before she could launch herself off the bed and out the door.

As soon as his body made contact with hers, the keening stopped. 'Thank God for that,' Jasper thought to himself. Up until then, the conversation had been at levels humans couldn't pick up - but her fearful keening could probably be heard on the whole floor. He wrapped his arms around her, and his legs around her legs, and her shaking slowly quit.

"Shh...shh... shh..." he soothed, stroking her hair. "It's okay. I'm here. I'm here. You're safe."

Half an hour later, Bella appeared to be completely calmed down. Jasper was thankful that Carlisle had had the good sense to not call him back, the phone remaining silent on the floor where Jasper had dropped it.

"Do you want to talk about that?" Jasper asked softly, not wanting to push her into anything she wasn't ready for.

"That man...vampire...I know that name..." she whispered. "Antoine. It's the name of the one who flew the plane...the one who pushed me out of the plane..."

Jasper was startled. He had convinced himself that that part of her story hadn't been true - that she'd been confused, maybe...

"Do you think...do you think it's who Carlisle was talking about? What happened to him? Do you think it's the same person?"

"I don't know, babe – I kinda hung up on him, ya know? Before he could get his story out." Jasper smiled into her hair.

"Oh." She sounded embarrassed. "I'm sorry..."

"Don't be. Are you okay now?" She nodded against him. "Okay, what did this man look like? Do you remember? Can you tell me?" He never thought he'd be saying the phrase, 'Do you remember?' to a fellow vampire, but then again, all his thoughts had changed where Bella was concerned.

"He was...tall. And he had dark hair - black hair. But I couldn't see his face, Jasper. I told you that already. But his name was Antoine. I heard it over the radio in the airplane, before he took off the first time. I just remembered that...while you were talking to Carlisle."

"Uh huh," Jasper said, keeping his face neutral. Even that little bit of description - the dark hair - matched the picture that Alice had been shown. But he hadn't told her the whole story of the visits the Cullens' had had. He'd focused on the part with Chelsea, not realizing that the other part of the visit had anything to do with their present situation. He was glad now that he'd done that. He needed to talk to Carlisle, preferably without Bella present. "Look, I need to talk to Carlisle. Will you be...will you be alright here in the room by yourself?"

"You're going to leave me alone?" she said, panicking.

"I'm just going up to the roof," he said quickly. "I need to talk to him. And you very well just might freak out again – I just..."

"I understand, Jasper," she said. "You want to talk about me."

Jasper was torn. She was right – he DID want to talk about her. He decided he'd be honest with her – honesty hadn't steered him wrong yet where she was concerned.

"Yes, I do. I want to talk to him. I need to get information, and I need to GIVE him information. I need to do it tonight. I need to do it without you freaking out. I need you to be okay to stay here by yourself for a little bit. Can you do that?" he asked her, addressing her like he would a soldier, but couching his command as a question. It seemed to work because she straightened up.

"Absolutely," she told him. "I can do that. You go find out what we need to know. Tell them all my dirty little secrets. I trust you."

"You're sure?" he asked again, a question that wasn't a question – even though he knew if she'd said, 'Don't leave me,' he wouldn't.

Instead she nodded. "Yes, I'm sure. They need to know. I don't need to hear it again. No, I don't need to hear THEM when they hear it. Go. I'll be right here when you get back."

Now it was Jasper's turn to nod. "Right. I'll be on the roof. The stairs are at the end of the hall, through a door that was locked and isn't anymore." He grinned slyly at her. The first thing he'd done when they'd gotten to their room was establish various escape routes - just in case. Before he could change his mind, he slipped out of the room and down the hall.

Seconds later he was dialing home again. This time Carlisle answered on the first ring.

"Is she alright?" he asked, before Jasper could say anything.

"No, thanks to us," Jasper said, acknowledging his own part in the meltdown.

"Is she there?"

"No. I left her in the room. I need to talk to you alone."

"Is that safe?" The concern in Carlisle's voice increased.

"No, it's probably not. Not at all. So we need to talk fast."

Carlisle sighed. "When we're done...I'd like to talk to her again. Esme would, too."

"She would like that," Jasper said, surprised at how formal his voice sounded. He really did resent how upset they'd made Bella earlier, and he blamed Carlisle more than a little for not knowing to hold his tongue. But that wasn't fair at all, he told himself. Carlisle knew nothing of their situation – of Bella's situation.

It took Jasper almost 10 minutes - even speaking at vampire speed - to tell Carlisle everything Bella had told him and to fill him in on everything that had happened to them since. When he was finished, Carlisle was silent. Jasper said nothing, letting Carlisle process what he'd just heard.

"What do you think?" Carlisle finally asked.

"In all honesty?" Jasper hesitated for a moment. "I...I wanted to ask you if it's possible for a vampire to be insane."

"Absolutely," Carlisle said immediately, without hesitation. Jasper's stomach fell. "BUT," he continued quickly, before Jasper could say anything, "I don't think that is the case with Bella. She would not be in control of herself, if she were insane. And she appears to be very much in control of herself, under the circumstances. She listens to you and follows your suggestions." He began to list reasons to back up his statement. "She is currently in a hotel full of humans, with no sign of wanting to eat the clerk or the people next door – although," he pointed out with some humor, "there's no telling what she is currently doing while we chat on the phone. She was willing to drink from dogs - at your order - without fighting you or arguing, and quite frankly, I find the mere thought disgusting. But she saw and understood the need for it." Jasper heard something in the background and knew it was Alice. "Alice says she has seen what you dressed her in, and she is voting for you BOTH being insane." Jasper smiled, but appreciated the humor Alice was trying to inject into the conversation.

"No, Jasper, as erratically as she may be behaving at times, I don't believe insanity is part of her problem. Now, would you mind sharing what you think is going on with her need to return to Europe? And why you're so on board with the idea?"

"I'm 'on board' with the idea," Jasper said, thinking that perhaps Carlisle was watching too much TV, "because she would do it with or without me. She's NOT the same Bella who left us two years ago, Carlisle. She knows her own mind – however scrambled that might be – and she's going to follow it. She's going with or without me. She's made that quite clear and I believe her. In all honesty, it wouldn't surprise me to go back and find the hotel room empty." There was a gasp from Esme. "NOT that I think that will happen," Jasper added hurriedly. "But I'm going with her. I'm going to help her do whatever it is that is so damn important, and then I'll bring her home. She's already said she wants to come home when she's...done."

"But WHAT does she want to do?" Carlisle asked. "Do you have ANY idea? Can you get a feel for it at all?"

"I feel NOTHING from her," Jasper told him again. "Most of the time," he amended his statement. "She's keeping her shield up most of the time."

"Why do you think that is?"

"I KNOW why that is. She told me the last thing Edward told her was to keep her shield up. I think..." 'I hope,' he told himself, "I think eventually I'll be able to convince her to let me in. She already does, a little bit, when we're...intimate. I think right now it has become second nature to her - she's got it fully up and locked on. Until then...well, let me tell you, I have found out that I've come to rely way too much on my ability in my life."

Carlisle laughed softly. "I don't doubt that. But I'm sure you're doing a fine job of learning how to work without it. Although I need to tell you, the only time Alice can see either one of is, evidently, when Bella's shield is down..."

Jasper winced. He'd been afraid of that. "Huh. Do you think that's because she's actually shielding me, or is it because my decisions are too wrapped up around HER decisions right now?"

"Could be either way. If she's actually shielding you, as well as herself, well, then, that would mean her power has gotten considerably stronger since we last saw her. That's not necessarily a surprise – powers often grow over time, or due to stress, or with great use. And she's certainly been stressed, and using it full time. And from what she told you, Edward seemed to think she might have begun shielding him, a bit, there at the end. The last time they met with Aro. I'd like to suggest something."

"Alright" Jasper said cautiously.

"Ask Bella if she'd be willing to drop her shield in the future, just slightly – no more than she's already doing with you – whenever you two make any major decisions."

"So you can keep track of us" Jasper said.

"It will make your mother feel better" Carlisle said, and Jasper could almost see the half-smile on his face.

"Not to mention you."

"Yes. Not to mention your poor father. Now, about the other..."

"I think I know why Bella wants to go back to Italy, though she hasn't said anything specific about it."

"Why?"

"Revenge. They killed Edward - her mate. It's not like what they did to Alice and me, breaking the actual bond itself. They destroyed him. In front of her."

"You've got to stop her, Jasper," Esme said in the background, sounding horrified.

"Don't you think I know that? But I don't know that I'll be able to... I've seen this before. And so have you – it hasn't been so long since we dealt with Victoria. She won't stop until she feels like she's avenged him, and it won't matter to her if she's killed in the process. Even though I think she's starting to want a different ending."

He could hear Esme whimpering now.

"But I'm going to do my best to change her course," Jasper whispered. "I've got to. I've just got to."

* * *

Soooo...."Running" has been nominated over at Jasper's Darlins "Everything's Bigger in Texas" contest in several categories: Most Creative Way to Get rid of Alice/Edward, Best sex that never was (chapter 16) (I guess all those interruptions paid off), best use of scars in a fic (who knew that was a category? huh.), best AU Jasper fic, and best Original Storyline.

Voting will open on the 23rd, and is taking place here: **http://jaspersdarlins(dot)blogspot(dot)com**

I'm really excited about this - Please go vote! If you liked another story better in these categories, by all means vote for them. But vote! It means a lot to the authors. And thanks to the lady (ladies?) that nominated me!


	25. Chapter 25

AN: SM Owns it all. I'd like to thank JaspersDestiny, who, it turns out, offers a full menu of services above and beyond the call of Beta-duties...see note at the bottom...

Chapter 25

"Why do we need to buy more clothes again?" Bella asked as Jasper led her through the outdoor market, finally stopping in front of a stall that had stacks of hand knit wool sweaters displayed on tables. "And WHY do they have an outdoor market in the middle of winter?" She toyed with her hair, braided by Jasper earlier that morning, and looked around her curiously.

"Well, it's not the middle of winter, for one thing," Jasper said, glancing up from the sweaters he'd been looking at to smile at her, "and I was assured by the hotel clerk that the really authentic stuff could only be found here."

"It may not be the middle of winter, but even I can tell it's cold. These people must be FREEZING! Oh, my God – look at that! Are those FISH? You could KILL somebody if you hit them with one of those! And 'authentic' what? Why do we need 'authentic' anything?"

"I think these people are used to it, Bella. And if we are DRESSED right, we'll blend in more. Besides, it's much cooler than the stuff we... uh... got last night." He picked out a sweater and held it up for her approval.

"It's pretty," she admitted, stepping closer to examine it. "But I like the blue one better."

Jasper put the brick red one down and picked up the blue one. He knew she picked blue because Edward had always liked the color on her, but he didn't have it in his heart to mind. His brother had been right – she did look good in blue.

"What about me?" he said. "What color do you like on me?"

"Green," she said, without hesitating. "Green looks great with your hair and eyes."

He cocked an eyebrow at her. Alice had always preferred him in red. So, Bella liked green? Then green it would be...

He looked through the sweaters some more, speaking softly in Russian to the old woman who ran the stall. He finally found a green one that he liked and held it up for Bella's approval. She nodded and smiled. He handed the sweaters to the woman, along with some money, and she wrapped them up in brown paper for him.

Bella started laughing while she waited for Jasper.

"What's so funny?" he asked when he was done.

"Oh, I decided to try what Carlisle suggested last night - and I dropped my shield so Alice could see what we're buying..."

Jasper snorted. "Great. You've probably caused her to pass out. Well, let's hope Carlisle's little experiment worked."

After he'd finished speaking to the Cullens on the roof the previous night, Jasper had returned to the hotel room. Bella had decided that she really did want to try talking to them again, so he'd dialed Carlisle for the third time. He hoped calls weren't being tracked somehow. Emmett, Rose, and Alice had left to hunt, which made Jasper wonder what exactly was going on at home, but he didn't dare ask about it in front of Bella. Bella spoke briefly to Carlisle and Esme again, and Carlisle repeated his earlier request to Jasper – for her to drop her shield slightly during times of decision making. She'd been hesitant to agree at the time, but the rest of the conversation had gone well. Carlisle and Esme had both stuck to light conversation, and they finished up with reassurances of their love and their hope of seeing both Bella and Jasper soon.

Their next stop was at a boot shop. "These are 'valenki'," Jasper explained. "Look around – everyone wears them here - even in the bigger cities. It is said they are much warmer than synthetics, although I wouldn't know about that. They certainly are prettier."

Bella had to agree with him. She fingered the embroidered and beaded designs on the outside of the boots and stroked the fur softly. "I like them," she told Jasper. "A lot."

"Pick a pair."

"The black ones," she said. "With the silver fur."

The man selling them nodded in approval at the ones she indicated, taking them down and handing them to her. He indicated a bench for her to sit on and try them on.

"Shiver," Jasper whispered at her as she removed her man-made boots. "You should be cold without shoes."

Bella complied. The boots fit well – the man had a good eye. She stood up and walked a few feet back and forth in front of the shop, and he nodded and smiled, and then said something in Russian.

"What? What did he say?" she asked Jasper.

"He says they look beautiful on you," Jasper told her. "And he's right."

Jasper ended up taking a light brown pair with brindled fur that Bella said matched his hair. After the boots came the hats and gloves – again, made out of fur. Black wool coats and wool pants completed their purchases, and they headed back to their hotel.

"We're lucky it wasn't any colder today," Jasper said as they were returning to their room. "I just realized we might have a potential problem on our hands, if we want to blend in this far north."

"What is it?" Bella asked, looking down at herself, then eyeing him up and down.

"Our breath – the air we're moving in and out doesn't warm up. We can fake the motions, but you can't see our breath. It'll be noticed if we're outside too much. And if it gets any much colder, people's breath will actually freeze on their hair, their eyelashes, their scarves... We'll need to limit our outside activities."

"Its always something, isn't it?" Bella asked, sighing. "Here we are, far enough north that we can avoid a lot of sunlight during the winter, but there's another hazzard we need to avoid."

She fell silent, and they didn't speak the rest of the way back to the hotel. It suddenly seemed safer that way.

"I need to find us transportation," Jasper told her, once they were back in the room. "I'd rather not run, even if it would be faster. And we need to leave as soon as possible. We only have only three days until the full moon."

"Can we fly out?"

He shook his head. "No. Unfortunately. I found out today while listening to people talk in the market that we shouldn't even BE here. You have to get special permission to enter this part of Russia. A regular visa to Russia isn't enough. So if someone were to ask for our papers, we'd be in a bind."

"But they rented us a room..." Bella said.

"Of course. It would be impossible for us to have gotten here without the proper documentation, you see? The difficulty is leaving through regular channels, such as flying. But now that it is winter, and the roads and rivers have frozen over, highway traffic is more common. Perhaps we can get a snowmobile..."

"That would be fun," she said enthusiastically.

He laughed. "Yes, it would be, wouldn't it? Shall we go get ourselves a snowmobile?"

"Can we buy one, just like that?"

"Probably not," Jasper admitted. "Let me rephrase...shall we go see where we are going to steal a snowmobile from tonight?"

Bella hesitated. "Actually," she said slowly, "can you go without me?"

"Why. What is wrong?" he asked sharply.

"All these people..." she whispered. "I'm not used to it. There are so many of them. This morning in the market...it was really hard, Jasper. I don't want to go out again, if I don't have to. I'll just wait here for you, I promise."

He searched her face. "Your eyes are fine – you're not hungry, are you?"

"No, it's not thirst – although they DO smell good. Especially that man at the boot shop... But it's not the thirst. It's the noise, I think. I'm just not used to the noise. All the bodies, all the talking...I just want to be alone."

"I understand. I hate to leave you alone, though..." He was torn. He needed to find them transportation. He didn't want them on foot. Those wolves up on the tundra had been fast - as fast as he and Bella. Maybe faster. A snowmobile couldn't go faster than them, but it might confuse their trail...maybe. He really didn't have a good answer for their problem. Hell, he didn't even know if they HAD a problem.

"Just go, Jasper," she said, giving him a little shove towards the door. "The sooner you go, the sooner you'll be back." She leaned up to kiss him quickly, and then shoved him out the door, shutting it in his face.

"Right," he whispered, touching his fingers to his lips where her scent lingered. "Right."

It took him almost an hour to locate some snowmobiles. He finally found a shop on the west side of town that sold them. Incredibly expensive, and out of the price range of most natives, the shop had about 10 models on site. The man in charge was more than happy to talk to Jasper, hoping for a sale. Jasper turned on his charm - 'dazzling' the man, as Bella would say - and poured on his own power. He gave the story that he worked for a tour company looking to replace their machines in the coming winter. Evidently this was a believable cover story because the man just nodded and continued to smile. The man even allowed him to take one of the models for a test drive, following him down the street on another machine. Jasper was glad the man hadn't insisted on riding pillion – that would have been totally unacceptable. When they were done, Jasper thanked the man and promised to return after he had spoken with his employer. He carefully made note of where the keys were kept, and then left the building, heading quickly back to the city center and Bella.

He was only a few block from the hotel when a familiar figure stepped out from a cafe and blocked his way on the sidewalk. Jasper fought to stop the growl in his throat.

"Mstislav," he hissed. "What brings you to Yakutsk? Not following me, are you?"

"Why, Jasper, I'm surprised! Who wouldn't want to visit this fine city? After all – you are here, are you not?"

"So you just happened to be in town?" Jasper asked sarcastically.

"Actually, I did indeed follow you. It was not difficult – especially with the help of those clothes you and your 'sister' left behind with my...cousin."

"Cousin?" Jasper asked, truly surprised.

"Of sorts. You'll find that we are a little more...integrated...into human society here, than you vampires tend to be."

"How does that work out for you, when you try to eat grandma every time the moon is full?"

"There are ways...it really is none of your business. But she knew what you were as soon as she saw you, and she took your clothes for the scent. She sent a message to me – it seems she didn't feel comfortable at the thought of you and the female taking up residence in her part of the forest, and asked that I get rid of you. How ironic is that? It might have taken me a bit longer to find you, otherwise."

"Huh." Jasper filed that bit of information away for examining later. "So, are you going to tell me what you want, or are we just going to stand here making polite conversation?"

"I'm surprised at you, Jasper. And more than a little angry."

"I can guess why you're angry. But why are you surprised?"

"Those were my children, Jasper," Mstislav said, shaking his head. "Truly impressive - one against eight. I'm assuming your...'sister'...had no part in it. But my children, nonetheless. I loved them all dearly."

"I'm sure you did," Jasper spat. He didn't bother telling the werewolf that two of the eight had evidently taken themselves out of the picture before he did any killing of his own. "If you loved them so much, perhaps you should have kept them close to you instead of running around playing dangerous games...with dangerous vampires. You didn't teach them very well, Mstislav."

"I taught them fine," Mstislav said, keeping his tone polite. "Come. Walk with me, Jasper. We attract attention standing here like this. And believe me, attention in this town is something neither of us want."

Jasper hesitated for a moment, and then nodded quickly. As long as they stayed where there were witnesses. He turned the corner and started walking in the opposite direction. When Mstislav didn't follow, he stopped and raised an eyebrow in question.

"But your hotel is this way, is it not?" Mstislav asked, gesturing down the other street. "Your sister is no doubt awaiting your return quite anxiously, don't you think?"

Jasper's gut clenched. He knew. He knew where they were...and where Bella was. Where Bella was alone. Oh, God, had he already been there? Jasper began to growl, unable to stop himself.

"Relax, my friend. I have not touched her. Yet."

Jasper's growl deepened, and several people walking by looked at him, and then quickly stepped out of his way.

"No," Mstislav continued, ignoring Jasper's growling and speaking as if they were having a conversation after church, "I'm surprised you are only in Yakutsk. I would have thought with your speed you would be long out of the country."

"We were in no particular hurry," Jasper said shortly.

"Ah, yes...the hot springs... Did you have a nice visit there, with your 'sister'? How does your 'mate' back home feel about that? You DID tell me you have a 'mate', did you not? Strange ways, even for a vampire..."

Jasper ignored this.

"At any rate, I would have thought the need to return to your coven would have been stronger than that, especially given the danger you are in...here in my part of the world. To spend time dallying at the bottom of a pool of water, no matter how great the pleasure, seems foolhardy, to say the least."

"We WOULD have been long gone, if your 'children' had let us return to the coast two months ago," Jasper told him, staring straight ahead as they walked toward the hotel.

"Ah, yes, but I'm afraid I don't WANT you to get to the coast, Jasper," Mstislav said, shaking his head. "I TOLD you I wanted you to deliver a message to your master."

"I serve no master," Jasper hissed.

"I'm beginning to realize that," Mstislav said, nodding. "But you'll do as a messenger, just the same."

"And what makes you think I would want to deliver this message anyway?"

Mstislav shrugged. "I think I can convince you it is in your best interests."

"How, exactly, do you intend to do that?"

"I only need one messenger. If you don't cooperate, I will kill your mate. And I do not speak of the faceless female across the water."

Jasper stiffened and stopped walking, swinging around to glare at the man and not caring who saw it. "You think you can hurt her?" he hissed. "I killed six of you for daring to touch her. You think you can use that as a threat?"

"They were young... very young. Not all my children are so young, or so foolish. My older children are much more...focused...on the task at hand. And right now, Jasper, the task at hand is making sure YOU return to Italy to deliver my message. Really, I am quite thankful you came along. I must admit I did not have all that much faith in that female to deliver the message. But she was all I had to work with...and she seemed fairly intent on going to Italy, anyway, for her own reasons..."

"How do you know about that?" Jasper asked. He did not wish to have this conversation, but he needed to obtain information. And if information was what this thing had, then it was too good to pass up.

"She talks in her sleep," he said, smirking. "Mikhail may be an idiot, and his English leaves something to be desired, but he heard quite a bit from her and I picked it out of his mind."

"Vampires don't sleep."

"No, they don't. But your mate? She is crazy. She sits and stares, and she never moves. And she talks to herself. You have not noticed this? She is a gold mine of information, that one. Quite helpful to my cause. But I am done with her now, and I will not hesitate to kill her if you do not head west."

"I am not afraid of you."

"I'm sure you are not," Mstislav said agreeably. "I feel we would be quite evenly matched, should it come to that. But I think you will find that perhaps you and I are not necessarily on opposite sides of the fight. You and I have a common enemy, Jasper, whether you know it or not. Ask your mate."

Jasper was silent for a moment. He turned and started walking again. "That is no reason at all for me to do your bidding."

"It is every reason, Jasper. I am not alone in this city, and by this time tomorrow night we will be much more dangerous - dangerous AND unable to control ourselves. Civilized conversation such as this will be impossible. We will kill you on sight, and that would be such a pity after I've put so much effort into cultivating our friendship."

Jasper stopped again. "You know what? You are one crazy motherfucker. You haven't even told me what this damn message is that you want me to deliver – or who to deliver it to!"

Mstislav smiled a triumphant smile, which Jasper despised.

"I want you to tell Caius of the Volturi that I am coming for him. I am coming for him, and I will kill him when I get there."

* * *

"Get up," Jasper said, as he barged into the room. "Get up. We are going."

"What? What happened? What do you mean?" Bella asked, hopping up from the bed. "What's happened – what's changed?"

"I ran into an old friend."

"What?"

"I ran into Mstislav on the street, coming back from looking at snowmobiles."

"Mstislav? Here? In town?" Bella cried, beginning to panic.

"Yes, here. In town. And he made it quite clear that he was NOT alone, and even clearer that we needed to leave town now if we wanted to leave at all."

"But Jasper," Bella said, pulling on her boots and coat. "You killed six of them..."

Jasper stopped stuffing gear into the backpack and looked at her. "I have been ASSURED," he told her, "that that was a fluke. That those were...the equivalent of newborns. And since I have no way of knowing for sure, I'm not willing to take a chance with our lives. It has been implied that if we head west now, and don't stop, that they will leave us alone."

"But why?" she asked, puzzled. "Is it a territory thing? I mean, we were trying to get away before, but that didn't stop them from trying to kill us."

"Apparently we need to make our exit Stage West," Jasper said, closing the bag and throwing it on his back before pulling his coat back on. He walked to the window and pulled the curtains aside. "It's almost dark now. We should be good to go in an hour or so..."

"Stage West?" Bella joined him at the window, fully dressed. "I don't understand, Jasper."

He looked down at her. She looked scared and it broke his heart. He pulled her close and kissed her. The kiss quickly deepened into something else, and he had to force himself to pull away, regretting there wasn't more time.

"Mstislav is insistent about his damn 'message' that he wants delivered. By me. He's going to continue to force us westward."

"But we're going that way anyway."

"Not fast enough for him, apparently. I found out some more about werewolves from him. Apparently, they have no control when they are in their wolf form – which we already suspected. They will hunt us out of instinct, and he wants us alive," _or at least me,_ he thought to himself, but refrained from saying that to Bella. "So he wants us to leave now. He's giving us a head start, Bella. And I, for one, am not ashamed to beat a hasty retreat. I have better things to do with myself than play the doomed hero against an unknown enemy for no reason."

"No, you're right, of course. We need to go, but...you said message. What message? Did he finally tell you what the message is?"

Jasper looked at her. "Don't you know?'

She looked at him and shook her head in confusion. "No...no, I don't. Should I?"

"I don't know – he seemed to imply that he had given YOU the message to deliver first. Then, when I came along he decided I was the better choice for a messenger."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

Jasper laughed.

"What's so funny?" she asked, annoyed.

"Well, he DOES keep calling you crazy."

"What the hell does that mean? Do YOU think I'm crazy?" She was indignant. "Is THAT what you talked to Carlisle about last night? About me being CRAZY?"

"No, Bella." He held out his hands, palms towards her, trying to calm her down. "I DON'T think you're crazy. But I do think you are not behaving like a normal vampire. The werewolf said he gave you a message to deliver to Caius, but you say you don't remember anything about it. And I didn't get the feeling he was lying. Vampires don't forget things, Bella..."

"Caius..." she whispered, stepping away from both the window and Jasper. There was fear in her voice. "Caius...I do remember someone telling me to tell Caius something..." She screwed up her face, clearly trying to locate the lost conversation. "Jasper, why can't I remember?"

Jasper grabbed her face with of both his hands. "I don't know, Bella. I have NO idea. We'll figure it out. I promise we'll figure it out. But right now, it's time to go."

* * *

An hour later they were flying westward out of town on a snowmobile. The one Jasper had selected had a storage rack on the back that was capable of holding additional gas cans. He estimated that they could go two or three hundred miles before they needed more gas. At that point, if they hadn't found more, they could abandon the vehicle and run. It would still give them a good head start.

"I don't understand," Bella said again, as they roared through the outskirts of town, shouting over the roar of the machine they rode. "If he wants us to deliver the message, why is he going to be chasing us?"

"Instinct," Jasper told her, once again. "He's going to be running on instinct. I think it's a catch 22 for him, actually. He NEEDS this messaged delivered by us, but on the other hand, he has no choice but to hunt us down and kill us. So we run." Jasper tried not to think too much about how that made him feel like a coward. Some situations called for retreat, and this was definitely, in his book, one such situation.

"Are you going to deliver the message?" she asked, whispering in his ear as the snowmobile flew through the night in the snow along the road.

"I am," he said.

"Why?"

"Because I believe at least one thing he said. We DO have a common enemy. Something is rotten in Italy, Bella, and it's affecting our entire family. Edward was just the beginning. Alice and I...what Chelsea did...that is part of it, too. Whatever is going on, it's not going to stop until Carlisle's entire coven is destroyed. So, it's war. And if we pull into Volterra with an army of werewolves on our tail? Well, that is not a bad thing. It may not destroy them, but it will certainly distract them, and take their minds off the Cullen's for a while."

"And if we're caught in the middle?" she asked.

He didn't ask what he really wanted to ask, which was why she would care, since they appeared to be on a suicide mission of their – her – own. "If it means the rest of our family is safe because of it? Absolutely. I can't ask that of you, though..."

"You don't have to ask," Bella said. "I have an appointment with them, too, remember?"

"I thought so," Jasper said, saddened by her wordless confirmation of his fears.

* * *

A/N: So, a link for what J&B saw at the market for those of you who are into that sort of thing (getting a feel for what I was looking at when I wrote it – get your minds out of the gutter, people) Remove the spaces, etc. Somebody let me know if it doesn't work.: http://www .independent .co. uk/travel/europe/yakutsk-journey-to-the-coldest-city-on-earth-771503. html

Don't forget to go vote at at "Everything's Bigger in Texas" over at Jaspersdarlins – voting is still open - **http://jaspersdarlins(dot)blogspot(dot)com**

Once again I didn't thank all the wonderful reviewers - and I feel really bad. Again. I read them all, and there were more of them than ever! You are all wonderful, and I love you SO much! But Real Life kicked my ass this week. Thankfully, Real Life finished the week with a 100 Monkey's concert. And thanks to JaspersDestiny, Beta and Pimp extraordinaire, who hooked me up, via mrsalreyami, with BamaBabe for the concert - so I didn't have to fangirl it by myself.


	26. Chapter 26

SM Owns it all.

Chapter 26

Even with the extra tanks that Jasper had strapped to the back of the snowmobile, they almost ran out of gas before coming upon a small town.

"That was close," he said as he pulled the vehicle into the trees and turned it off. "I really didn't want to start running yet." Half an hour later he'd siphoned gas out of a couple of trucks and refilled their own tanks.

"This gets shitty gas mileage," Bella observed. "How far do we need to go? I think it's almost sunrise, too... We should just run, Jasper."

Jasper looked at the snowmobile then back at her. She was right. This had been a stupid idea. His logic had been sound, but it hadn't taken into account the lack of speed and range of his vehicle of choice, or any other vehicle available to them in this frozen hellhole. Hell, they might as well have been using a horse drawn sleigh for all the damn good it was doing them. He was quickly deciding that he hated Siberia.

"You're right. We'll run. Let's go."

They ditched the stolen snowmobile, leaving it along the side of the road. Jasper moved into the trees and started to undress.

"What in the world are you doing, Jasper?" Bella asked, staring at him in shock.

He stopped pulling his pants off and looked back at her. "I'm changing. These clothes will get ruined running through the woods. We need to look presentable when we get back to civilization, Bella. We don't know what we're running into, or what sort of opportunity we'll have for further... um... shopping." He continued to strip as he was talking, carefully rolling the clothes up as he went. He pulled the clothes they'd gotten at the department store out of a new backpack Bella had noticed him unstrapping from the snowmobile. "Besides, I really like the boots and coat, not to mention the sweater you picked out, and I'd hate to see them get ruined," he grinned up at her.

She nodded slowly. "Alright...do you have my clothes in there, too?"

"Of course, Bella. Here you go." He pulled a rolled up bundle out and tossed it to her, and she grabbed it out of the air. "Roll your things up when you're done, and I'll put them in the bag. And roll them up nice and tight, now. I'll tie the boots on the outside of the bag." He turned his back on her, giving her some privacy to change. She knew he'd rather watch her, but he was gentleman enough to give her some semblance of privacy. It made her smile.

He began placing his rolled up clothing, including the nice coat, into the large backpack. "I'll carry the backpack, and you carry the Bond Bag. Sound alright to you?"

"Ooh...I'm honored! The Bond Bag!" Bella giggled. "Are you sure you trust me with that? Besides which, what's left in it that's so important?" Once they'd gotten clothing in Yakutsk, Jasper had made sure they were each carrying their own paperwork in waterproof bags, which they wore around their torsos and under their clothing. Passports, IDs, credit card, cash. Just in case they were separated. In addition to his paperwork, Jasper carried the phone.

She handed her clothing to him and picked the bag up from the ground, giving it a shake. "Feels pretty light to me," she told him.

"The chargers, the GPS, the rest of the lightsticks" he told her. "Nothing essential..."

"Well, THAT explains why I can all of a sudden be trusted to carry it," she said, laughing at him.

"That's not it at all, Bella," Jasper said, "Just... ugh... never mind. If you don't want to carry it, it'll probably fit in here with the clothes." Bella was amazed to see that he had indeed been able to fit all their new clothing into the backpack, including the two large coats. He was just finishing up tying the boots to the side of the bag. Bella flexed her bare feet in the snow, still finding the sensation very odd.

"It'll be easier to run this way," Jasper reassured her, having observed the movement of her feet. "Trust me. All the nomads know this."

"Is that what we are, now? Nomads?" Bella looked around them at the forest, and then back towards the road. It felt very lonely being a nomad. She thought it had sounded... free... when Edward had told her about the nomadic vampires - never being tied down, always getting to see new places... She'd changed her mind now, though. She'd rather be home and with her family - in a house... with running water... and clean clothes... and safety. She sighed sadly.

Jasper didn't need to feel her emotions to have a pretty good guess as to what was going through her mind. "No, Bella, we aren't nomads," he reassured her. "I prefer to think of us as travelers. Travelers on our way home, right?"

"Right." She nodded her head. That did sound better. Much more... reassuring. "With a little side trip."

He nodded. "With a little side trip. Ready?" He turned to the south and scanned the forest.

"Shouldn't we be going that way?" She waved vaguely towards the west, in the direction the road travelled.

"Nope. If we're running, we can just head straight south. We'll eventually hit the train tracks, and a hell of a lot sooner than if we ran to Taishan or Irkutsk. I don't know how often a train comes by, but there are freight trains in addition to the passenger trains, so we might just ride one of those."

Visions of a comfortable private cabin car vanished from Bella's head, to be replaced with one of them crouched amongst boxes and livestock. "Great," she mumbled.

Jasper grinned at her. "Let's go!" he said, and took off running.

They ran. And ran. And ran. They ran day and night. They crossed rivers, and ran through forests, wetlands, hills and meadows. The scenery was gorgeous, as it had been throughout Siberia. Signs of humans were rare, but it was clear that this area was still slightly more populated than what they'd been through so far. Oftentimes they'd have to detour around remote homesteads and the occasional small village.

They'd been running for two days, constantly on alert for any signs they were being followed by werewolves. Their second night saw a full moon rising to the east, making them even more nervous. Jasper had to assume the creatures were on their trail. While he was sure that the creatures were not capable of catching up to them while in their human form, but now they'd be in their wolf forms.

"I've got to hunt again," Bella told him, slowing down around noon of the second day. Her hand was rubbing her throat, as if that would help the burn that Jasper knew was there. "Really bad."

Jasper came to a stop beside her and looked at her eyes. They were black already. He shook his head. "Between going so long without feeding, and keeping that shield up like you are... I should have realized that. We were making such good time, though...Sorry, babe. I know you need to try to feed every day, at least until we get on the train. My mistake." He took a deep breath. "Ah, I smell..."

"REINDEER!" she shouted, starting to get excited. "Oh, boy!"

"Come here," he said, heading over to a large fir tree and quickly scaling it. He waited at the first branches for her, high above the ground. She frowned at the tree, and then tentatively began climbing up after him. He started laughing.

"You're overthinking it, Bella. Just follow your instincts!" _'you're so damn good at following them in the rest of your life'_ he thought to himself, a little angrily.

She stuck her tongue out at him, but did as he said, relaxing into the act of climbing. Within an instant, she was on the branch beside him, dangling her legs over the void.

"Excellent," he said, nodding.

"Why are we up here?"

"Well...I can think of a couple of reasons..."

"And they are...?" She waited expectantly.

"Well, in Emmett's book, there's an entire section on tree-related activities..." He cocked an eyebrow and waited for her reaction.

Bella was silent for a second, processing what he said and what he implied. "Um, I don't think so. Not right now."

He sighed in disappointment. "Okay. Well, then, I want to leave our things up here. We don't want to be hunting with the backpacks on, and we should leave our coats here, too, and maybe our sweatshirts so they don't get... um... bloodied up. We've been running across human scents off and on, and while I don't smell anyone around right now, I don't want anyone stumbling across our stuff."

Bella began pulling off her department store coat and sweatshirt, wedging it in the branches above them. "You don't think they'll look up and see this stuff?"

"We ARE pretty far off the ground, Bella. I don't think they'll notice it."

"What do you think people are doing out here in the middle of nowhere?"

"No clue. Hunting, I guess. There's a lot of fur trade around here. Remember the couple we got the clothes from?"

"Yeah... Ready?"

"Yep. Let's be quick. I don't want to spend too much time here. If you can, pull down a couple real quick and break their necks, and then drain them."

Bella nodded her understanding, and they dropped back to the ground. She revelled in the feel of the hundred foot drop, and decided that when they had time - and safety - on their side, she was going to indulge in a lot of tree climbing.

They moved slower through the forest in the direction of the reindeer scent. They were downwind of the herd, so they would not be detected. Within a mile of where they'd left their things, the trees began to thin out until they found themselves on the edge of a huge meadowland, through which a small river - now frozen over - ran. A large herd of reindeer was pawing in the snow, foraging in the middle of the open area.

"Perfect," Jasper whispered, and Bella nodded in reply, letting out a low, rumbling growl in anticipation of feeding. Jasper looked at her. "Are you going to be alright with me so close?" he asked. She'd been alright feeding with him at the hot springs, and before they'd arrived in Yakutsk. But she hadn't been so hungry then, and she certainly hadn't been growling before the hunt even began.

"I'm fine," she managed to spit out around the pooling venom. "Let's go."

Without waiting to see if he followed, she exploded out of the tree line onto the herd. She had one animal pulled down, its neck snapped, and was leaping for a second one before the creatures ever knew that something was wrong. Jasper pulled his first one down as she was chasing her third, the animals now in full-fledged panicked flight, and slipping on the ice of the frozen-over river in their need to escape. Jasper caught a scent that brought him up short, and he froze in shock.

The shock quickly changed to horror as he saw that Bella, caught up in her hunt, had also caught the scent.

Human.

"Bella, NO!" he shouted, running toward her and leaping. Somehow, although he would have bet money he couldn't do it, he landed on her back and brought her down in the snow. "Bella, stop!" he yelled to the struggling form that writhed beneath him, locking his body around hers. "Stop. Come back to me," he whispered.

Bella may have behaved like a newborn still, but her newborn strength had waned long ago. She was no match for Jasper, and her struggles quickly stilled.

"Oh, my God, Jasper," she finally whispered. "What the hell? Did you see that?" She started laughing.

After a moment, he had to join her, even without her projecting her emotions onto him. "I did see that, Bella."

"Oh, good," she said, laughing harder. He relaxed his hold on her and she rolled over, looking up at him. He grinned down at her. "I was afraid maybe I was adding hallucinations to my list of problems! I mean, really - a man riding a reindeer? What the hell WAS that?"

He chuckled and lowered his head until his forehead was touching hers, their lips only inches apart. "I have no idea, but can you imagine what HE is thinking right now? I mean, really – two half-dressed people come running out of the woods and start attacking his reindeer? Last I saw, the one he was riding was bucking across the river, hot on the trail of the rest of the herd. They probably won't stop until they hit the Pacific Ocean!"

He started laughing harder now, and he rolled off of her to lie in the snow next to her. "Oh, my God! The Volturi would be so PISSED! Here we are, sparkling away, showing off our vampire super skills..." If she'd still been human, Bella was sure she'd be peeing her pants by now. "Oh... oh... oh... Can you imagine when he gets HOME tonight? What he's going to tell the wife and kids?"

"Oh, shit!" She sat up suddenly.

"What? What is it?" Jasper was instantly on his feet, his laughter gone, looking around frantically for what could have caused her sudden mood swing.

"My supper! Are they still alive?"

Jasper looked around them. The two reindeer she'd brought down were still twitching in the snow, along with the one he'd gotten. They'd been joined by three of their herd mates that had not survived the stampede across the frozen river. "We're good," he told her. "Just drink fast. And leave the carcasses – maybe he'll use the meat and hides. I feel kinda bad now, knowing that these were someone's livelihood."

They ended up draining all six animals, Bella's eyes returning to a nice golden glow after three. Jasper let her have a fourth, just to be safe, contenting himself with two. For the first time since he'd met her, she'd fed to completion. She really was eating more than normal, and he didn't know whether to be concerned or not. He really wished she'd drop the damn shield – it was affecting her physically, and he couldn't remember that happening with any other vampire with a power... that he'd heard of, anyway. Maybe maintaining her shield non-stop, like she was, was harder than just occasionally using it. But then again, Edward's ability to read minds was always in play, and he didn't need to eat any more often than the rest of them. Maybe the shield itself was more of a power drain.

After quickly retrieving their belongings, they continued southward. That night the moon was still large in the sky, but they heard no howls. They had been running single file, Bella trailing Jasper by several paces as they ghosted through trees and meadows. Now, however, she put on a burst of speed to catch up to him. He glanced sideways at her and slowed a bit.

"What's up?" he asked. "Problem?"

"No," she replied, continuing to watch the land in front of them so she didn't do something foolish, like be the first vampire in history to run into a tree. "I was just wondering... I realize the moon is up, and that it's sort of like the sun. But on the nights when we haven't had a moon, how do you know which direction we're running in?" She could see him in her peripheral vision running with his head turned towards her, and she decided that if he could do it, then so could she. So she turned to watch him. After a few yards she realized she was going to be perfectly safe, being able pick a trail out with her peripheral vision while she watched and spoke to Jasper. "Is it some kind of vampire instinct, like migrating birds have? Because I don't think I've got it."

Jasper smiled. "No, nothing like that, Bella. I follow the stars. If you can read the night sky, you'll never get lost. I learned how when I was still human, a little bit. But I've learned a lot more since becoming a vampire. Bella, you weren't exactly wandering around lost when I found you. I mean, it was clear that you didn't know which direction you wanted to go - east or west - but you were definitely trying to go home, and then you'd decide to turn and head back to Italy. How were YOU keeping your directions straight?"

Bella slowed to a stop. She knew she'd told him about feeling pulled. Hadn't he understood what she meant? "The pull, Jasper. I feel, well, sort of a tugging inside. In here." She tapped her palm on her chest. "It PULLS me. It pulls me there," she pointed back east. "Back to where I suppose the Cullens are. Back to my...family. It's the pull I wanted to follow, but it's weak. It's too weak. There's another pull drawing me there," she pointed to the west. "Pulling me back to where Edward was killed." She paused for a moment, clearly lost in thought. For a moment, Jasper's heart 'stopped'. For a moment, he wondered - briefly, fleetingly - if Edward was still alive. He knew the sort of pull she spoke of - a pull that had once kept him aware of Alice's whereabouts. A pull that was now gone. He didn't feel it anymore. But, no, Edward was dead. They were sure of that. SHE was sure of that. The pull she spoke of was something different. It had to be what he'd spoken of with Carlisle – she was being pulled back to where she believed, instinctively, that she would find her mate's killers. Edward's began speaking again, and he stopped his line of thought to listen to her. Her words echoed his thoughts, confirming them. "It pulls me back to where his KILLERS are. I... I wonder if Victoria felt something like it, pulling her back to Forks, you know? Because she kept coming, and coming, and coming... It was like she didn't have a choice. And that's what I feel like, Jasper, and it scares me. Because look what happened to her. And I don't want to die... Not anymore. But I still feel that pull... Like I don't have any choice, either." She started sounding a bit hysterical.

He cut her off. "Bella. Stop. Listen to me." Dammit, this would be SO much easier if she would just let him IN. "Maybe... maybe you're right. Our kind, we usually do try to avenge our mates when they are destroyed. I've seen it before often enough during my time with Maria. I don't know if any of them felt a pull, and I don't know if Victoria felt this pull that you're feeling. So, I don't know if that's what it is. It makes sense, though... But I can't tell you from firsthand knowledge."

"But you and Alice..." she started, but then winced and looked away.

Jasper sighed. "My mate wasn't killed, Bella. That bond was destroyed. No, that's not the correct word. It was like the bond never existed. What Chelsea did was bad. As bad as murder or rape, if you ask me. But it left no instinctive need for revenge behind in its wake, not like Alice's death would have." _Doesn't mean that I don't feel like a little revenge just on the principle of things,_ he thought to himself. "So... this pull you feel... I don't have any firsthand knowledge of it. I don't have any anecdotal evidence that might help you. But I'm gonna stay with you, Bella. I'll stay with you while we find out what it's pulling you towards." _And hopefully maybe find a way to get you pulled in a different direction before you do something foolish like that stupid bitch Victoria did. Because I will NOT let you die a useless death, if I can help it,_ he added silently. He leaned forward and gently grasped her small face between his two hands. "I promise you, Bella, I'm not gonna leave you," he told her again, leaning down to kiss her. She leaned into the kiss, and then tried to deepen it. "Not now, sweetheart," he said, drawing back. "We DO still have werewolves on our trail. Wait until we get to the train..."

"Alright," she sighed.

"Bella?"

"Yes, Jasper?"

"Would you like me to teach you how to read the stars? It's a better way to get around than letting yourself be pulled hither and thither."

"I think I would like that very much. But, really, Jasper – hither and thither?"

"And yon – don't forget yon. Hither, thither, and yon."

"And yon – definitely can't forget yon."

"Feel better now?"

"Yep. C'mon, we have a train to catch." She took off, not waiting for him.

* * *

They hit the train tracks the next morning. Jasper was guessing it was morning, based on the fact that the moon had set - the moon that was still a little too full for him to relax. Being as far north as they were, though, the sun had yet to make an appearance.

"What do we do now?" Bella asked him.

"We start heading west along the tracks. But I think we should hunt first."

She shuddered. "Probably so. But it went so well last time...why don't we just go and find an entire village to terrorize?" She started walking down the track, consciously moving at a human pace.  
"Funny, Bella. Just walk, and keep sniffing. Maybe not for reindeer, though."

"Well, geez, Jasper, what if they farm bears around here, too? Or maybe use them for watchdogs?"

"We'll worry about that when we find a bear, Bella. Besides which, it's winter, remember? They're all asleep right now."

In the end, they settled for reindeer again - a herd that was not too far from the tracks. If it was a domestic herd, there was no sign of humans around it, and that's all that Jasper cared about. They each drained two animals and returned to the tracks. The sun was up now, but hidden in clouds. Jasper could smell snow in the air, and when he pointed it out to Bella, she realized she could, too.

It wasn't too long after midday when they felt the rumble in the ground that announced an approaching train, and their luck seemed to hold because it was approaching from the east, heading west to Moscow. They faded back into the trees, which came very close to the tracks here, and climbed one of the larger ones that hung over the track.

"I feel like I'm in a James Bond movie," Bella told him as they lay in wait, intending to drop down on the train as it passed by beneath them.

"I know. Emmett will be SO jealous when he hears about this!" Jasper agreed with her. "Carlisle discourages us from doing shit like this at home."

She giggled. "Well, I guess we better enjoy it while we can, then, right? Before Dad's back in charge, putting a damper on our party."

Those words were magic to Jasper's ears. Any indication she made that she intended to return to the Cullens was a step in the right direction, as far as he was concerned.

Soon enough the train came into sight. Bella was disappointed that it was a freight train and not a passenger train, but as far as Jasper was concerned it made things easier. He hoped nobody noticed them as they dropped down onto a freight car halfway along the line of cars, and they just as quickly entered through a hatch they found in the top. Inside, light filtered through cracks in the walls that Jasper was amused to see were still made of wood. The car was full of crates, but they were able to move some around to create a small nest for themselves near the top, right near the hatch they'd entered through.

"We made it," Bella said, relief in her voice. "No werewolves. But what now?"

"Now," Jasper told her, settling down on top of a crate and pulling her down next to him, "We wait. We should be in Moscow within the week, assuming this train goes all the way."


	27. Chapter 27

Ms. Meyers owns the characters.

Chapter 27

Things at the Cullen home had settled down into an uneasy calm. Remodeling after Rosalie's destruction had preoccupied all of them. Normally, Esme and Carlisle would have made the offending party do all the repairs by themselves, but circumstances were different now. They ordered the supplies together and they traveled to pick them up together. Rosalie, however, still ended up doing most of the actual work by herself.

All in all, the togetherness was beginning to wear on all of them, especially when they didn't know how long it would have to continue. Alice was still spending a lot of time in her room, supposedly looking for signs that something...somewhere...had changed. But the rest of them suspected she was just enjoying the semi-privacy.

When Jasper's phone call came through from Yakutsk, it caught them all by surprise. It was not a feeling they were used to experiencing. The very fact that Alice didn't know who was calling led them to believe it had to be Jasper, but still... They stared at the phone for a moment, and Carlisle finally picked it up on the third ring.

The room erupted in excitement when Jasper's voice came through the receiver, even thought they had, in theory, known - based on Alice's visions - that he and Bella were alright. It was different to have it confirmed. Alice's visions, after all, had been wrong before - they were subject to change when someone's decision changed. And it had been a while since she'd had any visions at all.

The excitement ended abruptly when Bella freaked out on Jasper's end of the conversation, and he was forced to hang up.

"Alright," Carlisle said, glancing around at his family. "We'll assume that he's going to call back. When he does, everyone try to keep quiet. We need to find out what is going on with them, and we need to keep the stress to a minimum."

It was a while before Jasper called, and Carlisle was starting to worry. They had no way of knowing what had happened. They weren't used to being without the benefit of Alice's talent, and it was almost as stressful for them as it was for her.

Finally, though, he did call back, and he relayed all that had happened to him since he'd last talked to them. When he got to Bella's story of her captivity, the level of stress in the room skyrocketed and none of them needed Jasper's gift to feel it.

"Who did this?" Esme asked as soon as Jasper was off the phone for the second time.

"The Volturi," Carlisle spat.

"Are you sure?"

"As sure as I can be. More sure now than I was before."

"Did you suspect something like that? That...torture?" Emmett asked Carlisle.

Carlisle nodded. "I did, unfortunately. I was with them a long time. They have many methods at their disposal for bringing a vampire around to their way of thinking. For them to have allowed her to hold out that long without her showing any sign of weakening and changing her mind...they must want her very much. Normally, they would have destroyed her by now. Aro likes recruiting to his collection, but he doesn't like waiting. He can be oddly impatient for a vampire."

"Is it possible..." Esme began hesitantly, "I mean, do you think it's possible that they don't even know she's gone?"

Carlisle considered it for a moment. "Possible. Somebody – she doesn't know who, although I have my suspicions – returned her head to her body in that pit before the pilot stole her away. It is entirely possible that they think she is still there – either in two separate pieces or in one piece in the pit. The Volturi measure the passage of time differently than we do, being set apart from humans as they are. We need to hope they haven't noticed she's gone. It would just complicate things even more if they start hunting her down. They aren't going to want her running around loose, able to spread tales about what was done to her."

Rose snorted at this. "They won't HAVE to hunt her down. That idiot, Jasper, is taking her right back to them!" After hearing Jasper's telling of what had happened to Bella, Rose couldn't decide what she thought about the whole situation. On the one hand, her heart bled for her little sister and all that she'd been through. On the other hand, though, she still felt that they should return home. Immediately. Now, though, she was starting to blame Jasper. Clearly, Bella was in no shape to make a decent, intelligent decision. Jasper, on the other hand, should know better. In her mind, clearly, it was his fault now that they were still there in Siberia.

When she voiced her opinion, Alice sprung to Jasper's defense.

"You heard what he said. He can't MAKE her come home! That would involve doing some of the same things the Volturi did to her! How dare you ask that of him!?" Alice shouted at Rosalie.

"I don't expect him to do THAT. He's a clever man, so he should be able to come up with SOMETHING," Rose snapped back.

"Hey, now," Emmett said, reaching out to grab Rosalie's hand, and trying to calm things down. "Jasper's doing the best he can. He doesn't want to be destroyed, ya know? He's not going to let Bella do anything stupid..."

"He's already letting her do something _stupid_. Every mile they go westward is _stupid_."

"Well, they DO have a pack of werewolves chasing them westward," Alice pointed out.

"Supposedly! Jasper said eight of them died at that missile silo! How many more of the damn things do you think there are?"

"A lot" Carlisle said. "Jasper said there were twenty on the peninsula, eight at the silo, and evidently he couldn't tell if any of them were the same ones. Plus, there's Mstislav. I agree with Jasper, going east would be dangerous and foolish. Flying out and returning from Yakutsk would be next to impossible, even with the documentation they've got with them. No, their best bet is to travel further west, and cross into a country that will be easier to fly home from. Now, you three take off before they call back. Esme and I will relay everything Bella says. I know you all want to talk to her, but I think right now it would be better to not overwhelm her. We don't need to add to her stress level, or Jasper's."

They hunted. By the time they were done, Alice had seen Carlisle and Esme finishing up the conversation and they knew it was safe to return home. Carlisle relayed the conversation he and Esme had had with Bella. They'd kept it light, making no further demands that she and Jasper return home. Bella had told them she missed them all, and that she looked forward to seeing them when she and Jasper got back. She reassured them that Jasper was taking good care of her, and that he was keeping her safe.

Carlisle had requested that she try dropping her shield minutely whenever she and Jasper made major decisions regarding their plans, as a way for Alice - and, in turn, himself - to have some idea about what was happening to them. Bella wasn't sure if it would be possible, but she did agree to try. No mention was made of the visions that Alice DID have of Bella and Jasper together.

The next day, Alice was excited to announce that she'd seen a vision of Jasper and Bella shopping in what appeared to be an outdoor market. Apparently, Bella was able and willing to drop her shield just enough for Alice to see them make a decision. The initial experiment appeared to be a success, and Carlisle deliberated whether or not to call Jasper and let him know, but he decided against it. They were not sure of the risks of making calls in and out of that area of Russia, and they did not want to call undue attention to them by the local authorities.

Alice was less excited about what, exactly, their decision had been about.

"I mean, really," she told Rosalie with a huff. "The boots are hideous. They're made out of leather and fur, and they have BEADS on them. Like Uggs, only worse. And a green sweater for Jasper? What is she thinking?"

Rosalie looked at her, one eyebrow raised. "Jealous?" she asked, curious.

"No!" Alice said quickly, and even Rose could tell she was sincere. "But green? Why does she think he'd look good in green?"

Rose shrugged. "She's right. He WOULD look good in green."

Alice greeted this opinion with a huff. The rest of the family had little or no opinion on the clothes shopping expedition. If anything, Carlisle was a bit peeved that Alice hadn't been able to see anything of any sort of importance. She didn't bother argueing about the imporance of proper fashion with him. That was a battle she'd given up on long ago.

The snowmobiles, however, were a different story.

Emmett was jealous. "That rat!" he yelled. "How come HE gets to steal a snowmobile?" He looked at Carlisle. "You never let _us_ have snowmobiles!"

"You KNOW what happened the last time Carlisle let you boys buy snowmobiles. Stark naked down Main Street in Fairbanks in February – I mean, really! Why are you so damn surprised?" Rosalie snapped.

"And it's not like I'm 'letting' him have one now," Carlisle pointed out. "I hardly have any input into things right now."

"It doesn't seem like a very smart thing to do," Esme said. "Those things don't go very far before they need gas, do they?"

"100-120 miles tops," Emmett confirmed. "They would definitely be better off just running."

"He must have had his reasons," Alice said.

"Oh, come on, Alice," Rosalie snapped. "You don't have to stick up for him anymore. It's okay to say that he's doing something stupid - playing around on snowmobiles in the middle of Siberia instead of JUST COMING HOME!"

"I'm not sticking up for him! I'm just pointing out that Jasper usually has a good reason for what he does!"

"You know," Esme said, looking thoughtful, "Jasper always did have a bit of an obsession with Dr. Zhivago..."

"He said it was because of its portrayal of the Revolution," Alice said stiffly.

Emmett snorted. "Jasper's a sap for a good love story. He just covers it up well. But there weren't any snowmobiles in THAT movie. I oughta know – I watched it with him about a bazillion times."

"No, but there were a lot of sleighs...which are probably hard to find in Siberia now. Maybe the snowmobile felt like a good substitute," Esme said.

Carlisle sighed. Sometimes he thought his whole family suffered from ADD.

"You know, you really should have faith in..." Alice stopped talking, and her eyes were glazing over with another vision.

"Great," Rosalie muttered. "Now they've probably changed to a dog sled."

Emmett laughed, but the rest of them were watching Alice. From the look on her face, she wasn't seeing Jasper and Bella on a dog sled, or having any other sort of fun.

She finally came back to them. "Volturi," she whispered.

Silence met her announcement.

"You were right, Carlisle. They didn't even know she was missing. But they do now. Or, they will soon."

Carlisle closed his eyes for a moment, seemingly trying to gather some courage for what he knew he'd hear next. "Tell us, Alice," he finally said.

Alice began relaying what she had seen. It was like listening to a news report. "Caius has discovered she's gone. Aro is angry...angry at Caius, I think... They are shouting at each other again. Marcus is watching them... Now Aro is shouting... Heidi comes in... He's telling her to get a plane... Hard to see what... Oh, shit."

Alice snapped into alertness. "They're coming here. Coming to Alaska. Coming for us. They don't think Bella is here, but they're coming for us before she can come back to us... They want to take care of us before she can get back to us, but I can't tell why... They seem almost...scared. Marcus is refusing to come with them... Aro and Caius are both angry, but I don't think it's about the same thing. It's hard to tell - too many things... too many decisions are being made and discarded. But they're definitely coming here."

"That's it," Carlisle said. "We're leaving. Any idea when this is happening?" he asked Alice. She shook her head. "Alright. We'll assume it's sooner rather than later. Take essentials only. We'll be leaving within the hour."

Rosalie hissed. "So, once again, we have to leave because of HER," she hissed.

"Rosalie," Esme reprimanded.

"Babe," Emmett said, trying to reason with her. "Even if Bella had come straight home with Jasper, the Volturi would STILL be coming here."

"Argh!" Rosalie growled. "I just...just..."

Esme put her hand on Rosalie's arm. "I know, Rosalie," she said softly. "We're all scared. But we need to stay together, and we need to leave."

"So, what? Are we just going to run? How far can we run? Demetri will know! He will just follow us...."

"He will," Carlisle agreed. "But we have Alice....and perhaps, eventually, Bella. For some reason, they're afraid of her. We need to find out why. Hopefully, Alice can tell us when they're in the air. We'll wait until then to leave – that gives us a head start on Demetri. We can play cat and mouse until we figure out something better. I didn't want to go to Europe, and run the risk of leading them right to her...but now...I don't know. I just don't know. But I do know we need to leave here."

"Great," Rosalie muttered. "THAT sounds like fun. I've always wanted to be a fugitive."

"That's the spirit, babe!" Emmett said, trying to sound encouraging.

"We'll have to charter a flight," Carlisle said. "Security for regular international flights has gotten too tight. We can't run the risk of having to go through a full body scan."

"It's better, anyway, if we charter something," Esme said. They all knew, without it having to be said, that their days of flying commercially had come to an end after what had happened to Edward, Bella, and Carlisle.

"And, hey, we even know a pilot!" Emmett said.

They stared at him blankly, but then Carlisle smiled. "Why, yes, we do. Alright, we'll head to Anchorage and see what our friend there can do for us." He looked thoughtfully at Emmett. "And when this is over, perhaps it is time for you and your brother to do something useful with your choice of hobbies and take flying lessons."

"Yes!"

They were in Anchorage by the next morning, and they had located the man they'd met at Antoine's burned out warehouse by noon. It turned out that he could indeed help them, including renting a leer jet and pilot who could take them all the way to Europe, and all with a minimum of paperwork. After making arrangements for the rental of the plane, they went to the small house north of town to meet with the Denalis.

Carlisle spoke with Eleazar to make arrangements for their extended 'vacation' while Esme made arrangements with Carmen for the closing up of the house and the storage of their belongings. Emmett sat with Alice, who was trying to utilize her visions to plan the best way to get to London and avoid the Volturi. It had been decided that they would all go to Carlisle's house outside of London. This just gave Rosalie something else to complain about.

"Look, Rose," Alice finally snapped angrily. "NONE of us want to eat sheep. If you are so damn unhappy with all of this, stay here with the Denalis. Or, go your own way. But for the love of God, SHUT UP!"

Rose and Emmett both stared at her in shock, and even Esme and Carlisle ceased their conversations to turn to look at their children with concern. Up until now, Alice had stayed fairly silent, except for when she was defending Jasper throughout Rose's harping about Bella and Jasper, Alice's own acceptance of their growing relationship, or Rose's general unhappiness with everything that was going on. Clearly, though, she had finally reached her breaking point.

Now she glared at Rosalie, clearly waiting for some sort of response. Rose seemed to shrink a little bit.

"I'm not leaving," she finally said quietly. "Family comes first."

"You're right, it DOES," Alice snapped. "And you should remember that. If you do nothing else to help, you could at least keep your mouth shut. None of us want to eat Carlisle's damn sheep." She shot an apologetic look at Carlisle for this, but he just raised an eyebrow at her. "But at this point, sheep are the least of our worries, don't you think?"

Rosalie's eyes narrowed at her sister's words, but she didn't reply. She gave a sharp nod of her head and said nothing further. Emmett gave her a quick one-armed hug, and then turned his attention back to Alice and their planning.

They had to wait until late that night for their departure, as they were forced by human rules and the human frailties of their pilot, who needed to be rested enough to be allowed to fly. It was yet another reason, Carlisle pointed out, for his sons to take up a new hobby, and one that would actually be useful to the family for once. Eventually, though, they were in the air and on their way, and able to fly straight to London. Alice's visions showed the Volturi taking off before them, so it was entirely possible that their planes passed each other somewhere over the North Pole.

Their London arrival went off without a hitch. Carlisle paid the pilot and co-pilot handsomely to remain in town on call, telling them that they would no doubt be continuing on through Europe, but that he just wasn't sure when. The pilot nodded, more than happy for a vacation, and he told Carlisle that he would need at least four hours' notice in order for them to file a flight plan. Carlisle then leased a car and they traveled out to the farm, Alice watching the whole time for changes in plans – anybody's plans.

* * *

A/N: Don't forget to go vote at at "Everything's Bigger in Texas" over at Jaspersdarlins – voting is still open - **http://jaspersdarlins(dot)blogspot(dot)com**


	28. Chapter 28

SM Owns everything. Woo Hoo for her! Of course, without her and her books, none of us would be on this website right now.

Chapter 28

The train might have gone all the way to Moscow, but they never found out.

On the morning of the third day, Bella's throat was on fire. By noon, she couldn't ignore it any longer.

"Jasper," she whispered. "I'm sorry, but I've got to hunt."

Jasper took her head and turned it gently towards him so he could check her eyes. They were pitch black.

"Bella," he growled, frustration filling his voice, "You've got to drop your shield, at least when we're alone."

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I just... I just can't."

"Yes, you can. You're doing a fine job of keeping it up without even thinking about it, apparently. You just need to practice – and this train ride would be a fine place to practice."

"Arghh..." she growled, just as frustrated as he was. "I KNOW that. Don't think that I don't know that. I know this is a problem..."

"It's about to become an even bigger problem, Bella, when we get into Europe. Hunting is going to become more difficult the closer to Italy we get. And there will be a lot more humans around. A LOT more humans. A lot more opportunities for you to slip up, and I know you won't be happy with yourself it that happens. That shield seems to be sucking the energy out of you at a rate that's almost scary. I don't know how you managed to keep it up all that time you weren't feeding..."

"I don't know either, Jasper. Maybe it was because I wasn't doing anything else at the time..." She reached over and gently nipped at his jaw, eliciting a low growl from him. "So, maybe it's not the shield at all that's taking all my energy..." She nibbled her way down to his neck. He tightened his hold on her, and pulled her flush against his body. "All..." nip, "I..." nip, "know..." nip, "is..." nip, "I..." nip, "need..." nip, "to..." nip, "feed". She bit down hard on his shoulder, almost breaking the skin and causing him to yelp.

"Hey!" he said, shoving her away. "None of that. We'll feed, alright? Get your clothes on." He quickly gathered his clothes from where they lay scattered about on the crates and got himself dressed. She finished dressing a split second later. "Now, wait a second while I see where we are."

He checked his GPS and found that - at least coordinate-wise - they were probably only two days away from Moscow using the train's current speed. Bella would have had to feed no matter what before entering the city, so he supposed now was as good a time as any. In fact, it looked like they should be in the Ural Mountains, so that was probably a really good place for him to get her out to hunt. They could catch another train when they were done, or maybe cross through the mountains on foot and hunt again on the other side, now that the threat of the dogs was over. It was a threat he hoped to not have to deal with ever again. By the next full moon, they'd either be dead or home in Alaska.

He crossed the crate to the wooden side of the car, and he quickly punched a hole in the side of the wall.

"What are you doing?" Bella hissed, jumping with surprise at his unexpected action.

"I want to take a look out without sticking my sparkly face out the top."

"Oh. Makes sense. What do you see?"

"Trees."

"Trees are good, right?"

"Trees are great, Bella." He moved over to the hatch and opened it, and he cautiously put his head up and looked all around. "Yep, trees are definitely great. Mountains are even better. Get the bags and let's go."

A minute later and they were on the ground and into the forest, stopping to watch the last car of the train disappear down the tracks.

"Wow," Bella said, as she looked around them. "You know, Russia is a really big place. Really big, and really empty."

"Most of it, yeah," Jasper agreed. "But we came through some pretty populated areas already. These are the Ural Mountains here, dividing European Russia from Asian Russia. We should find them pretty deserted. Living in the mountains for the beautiful scenery hasn't caught on here yet, I'm thinking."

"Do you think they have reindeer here?"

"I'm hoping they have something else here," he told her. "ANYTHING else, actually. Come on, let's hunt."

They took off in a generally western direction, and before too long caught the scent of something. "A cat – probably a lynx," Jasper told her. Finally, a decent predator to eat. "Strip," he said quietly, almost silently, and began pulling off his own outer garments. When she complied, he ran their belongings up a tree, and then dropped back down to the ground next to her.

"Hunt with me, Isabella?" he asked, stroking her arm gently.

She nodded, her venom already pooling at the odor drifting upwind towards them.

He took off running, and he didn't need to look to know she was right there with him... hunting with him... as a mate would.

The lynx came into sight. There were two of them feeding on a kill of their own, and Jasper took the first one down. To his surprise and delight, instead of grabbing the other one, Bella dropped to her knees next to him to partake in his kill. He moved away from the neck, letting her have the artery there, and moved down the body to take the femoral artery for himself. He purred contentedly as they drained the cat together, and he smiled when he heard her purring, too.

Perhaps he really could change this deadly pull towards Italy and redirect it towards himself. Maybe.

After the first lynx, and with a little more effort, they were able to get the other one, and they shared it as they had the first. He and Alice had actually only rarely shared kills, preferring instead to hunt separately and meet up when they were done. Alice was a picky eater, and she had definite preferences when it came to what she drank. She was willing to go without instead of settling for something she was not in the mood for. It had always rather annoyed Jasper, especially since he had such a difficult time ignoring his own thirst.

Of course, Jasper had to admit that she had considerably better control than he did, and she could indulge in her picky eating habits. He didn't know if it was Bella's thirst that caused her to be an indiscriminate feeder like himself, or if she just enjoyed sharing with him. He really hoped it was the latter.

After they finished the cats, they retrieved their things and headed west through the mountains. "Let's plan on hunting as we go," Jasper told her "Since we're unfamiliar with the territory, we don't know how often or where our next meal will be."

"Aren't we in a hurry?" she asked him.

"Not anymore. Those wolves are long gone behind us, and we have almost four weeks until the next full moon. We can't stop and play, but I'm not feeling quite as...desperate...for speed," he told her.

She shrugged and fell into step beside him. They ran, but it wasn't the full out speed they'd put on in eastern Siberia. In a way, Jasper knew it was more dangerous – at these speeds, which were still extremely fast, humans could see them, and they would know they couldn't be human. But he didn't care. This was the equivalent to a stroll in the woods for vampires, and he intended to enjoy his time with Bella.

They continued to hunt, as he'd suggested, and they took some smaller prey as they went. Bella discovered that wolverine, while it put up a good fight for such a small beast, tasted like crap. Jasper had to agree, having taken a single swallow at her suggestion that it tasted like bear. She also didn't care for minks or martens, both of which Jasper declined to sample after the wolverine incident. When they came across a small cat of some sort hunting in the trees, Bella let him have it all to himself to repay him for tricking him with the wolverine.

They even took some time to observe the humans in the area. Bella found it fascinating to sit in the trees on the edge of the forest to watch them go about their daily business, oblivious to the predators watching them.

"Maybe you should go to school and major in sociology when we get back home," Jasper teased her.

She stuck her tongue out at him. "Isn't that like the vampire equivalent of 'animal husbandry' or something?" she asked, causing him to laugh so hard he almost fell out of his tree. In fact, his laughter was so loud that the couple they'd been watching do chores in the farmyard below heard him. They looked startled, staring into the woods right at Jasper and Bella's location, and they then quickly headed inside.

"Well, show's over," she said. "Good going, Jasper."

"Yeah, because watching old people chop wood is SO exciting," he shot back at her.  
"It IS," she insisted. "It was so obvious they loved each other. You could tell – even doing the simplest of everyday chores, they wore their hearts on their sleeves."

He couldn't argue with her. He could tell by what they were feeling that the old couple was still deeply in love after decades of life together.

"Come on," he said abruptly. "We need to hunt again."

After three elk, he stopped her from taking a fourth. "Look, I know we've been following the track, sort of, and heading towards Moscow. We could probably get there by tomorrow morning if we ran fast. But I've been thinking, and there's really no need for us to go there. Let's just head southwest now, and cross into Europe. We're probably going to have to start traveling mainly at night, even though we can still manage to avoid populated areas fairly easily in this part of the world. We'll go through the Ukraine, then Romania, Serbia, Bosnia, Croatia, and then swim across to Italy."

"What about the clothes you like so much? Won't they get wet?" Bella asked, laughing at him.

"We can ship them home before we get in the water."

"Ah! UPS or FedEx?"

"FedEx," he said, smirking. "They have better service from Europe."

She snorted. "We really are getting back to civilization, aren't we?"

"Well, it depends on your definition. Rosalie and Alice would definitely disagree...but yeah. So...is that alright with you?"

"Is what alright with me?"

"Skipping Moscow and heading straight to Europe?" he repeated patiently.

"Oh." She was silent for a moment. She closed her eyes and slipped down inside herself. She felt the pulls, all three of them, and she examined each one carefully. She'd ignored two of them for the last several days, concentrating instead on the third, and newest, one - the one pulling her to Jasper. She was more than a little pleased to see that it was much stronger than it had been before. It was stronger than the one pulling her to the east, back across Russia, across the Pacific, and to the Cullens. That one, actually, was almost gone entirely. No, not gone... but...hazy. Fuzzy. Like it wasn't sure which way it wanted her to go. The other, the one pulling her to the southwest, was still the strongest, but not by much. Maybe soon it wouldn't be the strongest at all. She smiled to herself, and opened her eyes. "That would be fine, Jasper," she said, smiling up at him and taking his hand. "Europe, here we come!"

* * *

They traveled at night and hid during the day - in barns, in trees, in abandoned buildings. They hunted as they went and fed mostly on smaller animals now, mostly foxes and such. Bella's thirst was never quite sated, not that it ever would be just feeding on animals instead of humans. But she was doing alright, in both her and Jasper's opinion. They'd crossed over into the Ukraine and were spending the day in an isolated hay barn. They'd just finished making love when Jasper spoke up.

"Bella, would you mind a bit of a side trip?"

"Sure, Jasper," she said, trailing her fingers across his stomach, and enjoying the way his muscles tensed under her touch. "Where do you want to go?"

"Mmmm..." he said, catching her hand before it could drop lower. "I'd like to go to Kiev. I've never been there before. The family spent a couple of years in Moscow back in the early '90s, after the so-called fall of communism, but I never made it to Kiev. It's just one of those places I'd like to see...and we're so close."

"Whatever you like, Jasper. What's in Kiev that's so fascinating?"

"There's a lot of history in Kiev, Bella. It is a very old city. Lots of museums..." he trailed off, looking hopefully at her.

"I knew you liked history, Jasper, but I had no idea you were such a fan of museums," Bella said teasingly.

"Yeah, well, it was always kind of difficult for me to handle going to them before because of my...blood lust. But now, with you, it's not such a problem. So, I thought, since we're so close..." _The longer it takes us to get to Italy, the more time I'll have to change your mind,_ he added silently to himself.

"Okay, I'll buy that. Kiev sounds like a great place to visit. But let's eat first. I don't want to eat dogs again, like in Yakutsk, unless it's absolutely necessary."

They hunted and then changed into their 'good' clothes outside of Kiev, and they slipped into an outlying village in the early hours of the morning. When the sun rose, they were able to hitch a ride – for a few rubles – in the back of a farm truck that was heading towards the city's markets. By the time the sun rose – luckily behind heavy cloud cover – they were in downtown Kiev.

"Let's get a room," Jasper said.

"Alright," Bella agreed. "Hot water, here I come."

They were able to check into a nice hotel with no questions asked, and they soon found themselves soaking together in a large tub filled with bubbles.

"This is great," Bella sighed. "I LOVE Kiev."

"Tomorrow we'll tour the city," Jasper said, sinking lower until only his head was above the water. "It's supposed to be cloudy for the next few days, according to the hotel clerk. But for now..." He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her further down into the water with him.

* * *

The next morning, they headed out into the city. Bella loved the architecture of the old cathedrals and palaces, and Jasper enjoyed being able to go through the museums without the urge to eat the other tourists. At the end of the day, they returned to the hotel, and they were already making plans for the next day.

"Should we call them?" Bella asked later that evening.

"Probably," Jasper murmured against her skin. "But not right now. Right now I want to love you..." He licked the sensitive spot below her ear, and then ran his tongue across the bite mark on her neck. Her eternal mark. Edward's mark - the one that had been partially mangled by the werewolves. She shivered in response, and he felt a surge of jealousy, wishing it had been his bite that had claimed her. It was ridiculous, he knew that. He and Alice had still been very much in love when Edward had claimed Bella as his eternal mate. Bella had been barely a blip on Jasper's radar - just a welcome addition to the family. He had seen very little of either of them before her change because the Cullens had kept them apart for her safety. And after her change, it had been Edward who'd helped her adjust to her new life.

She loved it when he licked her there, across the crescent-shaped scar. Their skin was always more sensitive over their scars. It made his own body an easy target for Bella, as scarred as he was. He'd noticed, though, that as much as she enjoyed his attention to them, the scars on her back from the werewolves did not hold the same sensitivity. He could only guess that it must have something to do with the werewolves' poison.

She started purring, so he ran his tongue across it again. "They're probably worried about us..." she whispered.

"Maybe, maybe not. Alice probably knows we're fine. You've shown them plenty of our decisions lately," he whispered back, giving her collarbone a gentle nip.

"I'm sure they were FASCINATED by our tour of the city today," she murmured against his hair as his lips moved lower.

"Mmmhmmm," he replied.

"We should call them. Make sure Carlisle's idea of me dropping my shield a little bit when we decide things is working.

"Tomorrow, Bella. We'll call tomorrow."

"Promise?"

"Promise. Tonight, I just want _you_... in a bed."

"Mmmmm....alright...."

* * *

"Jasper," Bella called from the bathroom a few hours later. "There isn't anymore shampoo. Can you call for some more?"

"Bella, it's three in the damn morning. I doubt they have anybody available to bring us shampoo."

"Well, can you go down and get some for me? There must be somebody at the front desk."

Jasper sighed. "Yes, dear," he called out, pulling on his shoes and standing up. "Almost like being married," he mumbled to himself.

"I HEARD that," she called out to him from the bathroom.

The clerk might have thought it was odd that he was asking for shampoo at that hour of the morning, but he didn't say anything about it. Instead, he went into the back room and returned with a bottle, which he handed to Jasper with a smile.

"It is SO difficult to get the stink of the Taiga out of one's skin, is it not?" came a familiar voice behind him as he was crossing the lobby back towards the elevators. Jasper spun around.

"Mstislav," he hissed. "What the hell are you doing here? Why are you following us?"

"Why, indeed, Jasper?" the werewolf said, a smile playing around his mouth. "I would have thought a clever man such as yourself would have figured it out by now."

"You know, I don't know why you don't just deliver the damn message yourself, since you're apparently traveling right along with us," Jasper snapped.

"Ah, well, I guess I figure you to have a better chance of actually getting close enough to do the delivering. I would assume that my presence would cause some distress in those circles, and the message would probably get lost in all the excitement."

Jasper snorted. "No doubt." He found himself relaxing a bit, much to his surprise. He'd already decided that, at least during this time of the moon phase, he had the upper hand and could beat Mstislav. Of course, he could hardly do that here in the lobby of the hotel. The clerk was already watching them with curiosity. "Forgive me for not inviting you up," he told the werewolf. "I'm sure you understand."

"Oh, completely. Completely."

"So, what is it that you want now? I have your message. I'm clearly traveling in the right direction to deliver it, although you understand you'll just have to trust me that delivery is actually on my agenda. What are you doing here? Checking up on me?"

"After a fashion. I just wanted to make sure the message was still fresh in your mind. You've been rather distracted lately, you and your _sister_..." He smirked at Jasper. "I wonder, when all is said and done, what your 'mate' will think of all this when you return to her."

Jasper said nothing.

Mstislav sighed. "I told you, Jasper. We have a similar agenda, you and I. I'm rather disappointed that you haven't figured it out yet. Although, again, I blame the distractions. Perhaps I should have just killed her when I had the chance – your mind might have been functioned better. But, no, then you would have had no other reason to go to Italy, would you? I have no doubt that my message is not what draws you there. SHE is what draws you there, is she not? And what is drawing HER there, eh, Jasper? Have you asked yourself that? Have you figured that out yet? Perhaps you will have no need to explain ANYTHING to your mate, if you never leave Volterra." With that he turned on his heels and exited through the lobby door onto the street. Jasper watched until he was out of sight, and then turned, got on the elevator, and returned to their room.

Bella was waiting for him when he entered the room, and he handed the shampoo to her.

"What happened?" she asked, taking the bottle from him. "What the hell could have happened on a 3 AM trip to the lobby for shampoo?"

"It's Mstislav," he said with a sigh.

"HERE?" she yelled.

"SHHHH," he hissed.

"Here?" she asked again, whispering. "In Kiev? IN OUR HOTEL?"

"Keep it down, dammit! The humans are sleeping. YES, in our hotel."

"What the hell? Is he stalking us?"

"Apparently," Jasper said grimly.

"Oh, MY GOD! Can't he just leave us alone?"

"Apparently not. He wants to make sure we really go to Italy."

"To deliver his damn message?"

"Yep."

"He should just deliver it himself. He's certainly close enough now."

"I pointed that out to him," Jasper said, dropping onto the couch. "He pointed out that he'd never make it that far."

"So, what's our motivation for doing this for him?"

"None, as far as I can tell..." Jasper said, frowning. "Although, he seems to think I SHOULD have some motivation. Obviously he can't hurt us right now, but he IS a persistent tracker. We should assume that if we don't deliver the message, he will continue to harass us. But that makes no sense, either – I could have easily killed him tonight. And believe me, if this keeps up, I WILL kill him, and I'll be damned if I care if people see it. But he seems so SURE that we would be willing to deliver this damn message. I feel like I'm missing something here..." he growled in frustration. "What the HELL am I missing?"

"I don't know, Jasper. Maybe it'll come to you..."

"Maybe. I hope so. This is very frustrating. We're in such a dangerous situation." He looked sideways at her, and tried to gauge her reaction to what he was saying based on body language alone. "And there are just so many unknowns. TOO many unknowns. Well, no use letting it get to me yet. We still have time, right?"

"Does this mean we need to leave now?" she asked, glancing back at the bathroom, clearly not wanting to go anywhere but back to her bath, and just as clearly not wanting to talk about it anymore right then.

"No, I don't see any reason to. Obviously, running from the...man...doesn't do any good. And, apparently, he is not really a danger to us outside of those few days a month, which are still almost three weeks away. No, I say we stick with our plan."

"I don't think I could enjoy going to the museums tomorrow, knowing that he might pop out at any minute," Bella told him.

"Alright. We'll leave in the morning. Go ahead and finish your shower. Our clothes should be back from the cleaner first thing in the morning, and then we can pack up and go."

* * *

A/N: The Lambs are hosting another contest, the 'We Don't Need No Stinkin' Coven' Contest! Dedicated to those hot and wild nomads! Go to the Altered Lions and Sacrificial Lambs web site and click on the link, or look up "We Don't Need No Stinkin Coven" under "authors" on FanFiction, and read the great stories. Better yet, write an entry!


	29. Chapter 29

A/N SM owns it all!

Chapter 29

The next morning before they left the hotel, Jasper went to the front desk to pick up their dry cleaning.

"Really, Jasper, what is up with you and these clothes?" Bella asked him, watching with amusement as he packed their sweaters away in his backpack.

"I like them," he said defensively. _And I like that you picked mine out for me, _he didn't add. "Now that we're back in civilization, we need to look nicer."

"Right... And tell me again why we're going on foot instead of flying to Italy or just renting a car now that we're 'back in civilization'?"

Jasper paused in his packing. Lie or tell the truth? He hadn't lied to her about anything so far, so he didn't think it was right to lie to her now. It wasn't _fair _to lie to her. Lies made it difficult for people to make correct decisions. Telling her the truth was very important to him. At least it had been since he'd first found her.

"It's more difficult than I thought to just rent a car or buy last minute airline tickets," he lied. "I've never actually had to do it, not from a former 'iron curtain' country." Truth. "Just asking about it made the concierge suspicious." Lie. He hadn't asked. "It's just too risky." Possibly true. "I realize going on foot is slower, since we can't really travel quickly except at night." True. And the reason for the lies. "But we'll get there, Bella. Even if it takes just a bit longer." True. And every extra moment it took them was an extra moment Jasper had to change her mind. "Come on, it's cloudy out. If we leave now, we'll be out of the city in a couple of hours, even walking like humans. Then we can maybe get you something to eat, even if it's small. Are you thirsty?"

"A little bit," she said, nodding. "Aren't you? All those humans around us yesterday?"

Jasper shook his head. "No, not so much. I told you – your shield hides your thirst from me. Half my problem has always been dealing with everybody else's thirst in addition to my own. Now that it's just me, it's not difficult at all. All those years of over-compensating is paying off."

"Hmmm...I wonder..." She looked at him through narrowed eyes, clearly thinking about something.

"You wonder what?"

"I wonder...my shield is hiding my thirst from you. And it's hiding my emotions from you. But don't Alice and Carlisle think it might be hiding your future from her? Like I'm actually shielding you, maybe?"

Jasper nodded slowly. "Yes. Carlisle thinks that is possible...especially since, from what you said, you seemed to be sort of shielding Edward there a bit, at the end, before..."

"And it would be a really good thing, wouldn't it, if I could shield you – or other people – in addition to myself..."

"It would be a VERY good thing, Bella," Jasper told her. "But a little difficult to test without another talented vampire around."

"But it WOULDN'T be, would it...? I mean, maybe I could try shielding HUMANS, and then we would know if it worked if YOU couldn't feel them, or influence them..."

Jasper nodded slowly. "Yes, that could work. They DO respond to my gift very easily... Good idea, Bella! But, do you have any idea how to go about it? Do you even know what you're doing with your shield? I got the impression that it just, well, was just THERE. Although...you obviously have some control over it because you've been raising and lowering it...and it's obviously stronger than it used to be because before you left for Europe with Edward and Carlisle, I could _feel_ you and Alice could _see_ you..."

Bella went totally still - the stillness only a vampire could achieve. Jasper felt her shield come down for a split second, and then go back up. After a moment, she gave her head a shake. "I don't know exactly what I do. But you felt it come down, didn't you?"

"Briefly," he said, nodding.

"OK, then. I can't explain how, but I think I can do this. Let's find a human..."

"We need to leave," Jasper said gently. "We can't experiment right now. Maybe we can hitch a ride with someone and do it while we ride."

"Oh. Yeah. Okay. Or while we're walking...you know, people we pass on the street."

"Bella, it's like five in the morning. There won't be many people."

"Fine! I'm just trying to be helpful! I mean, it would be really good if I could shield you, too, when we finally get to Volterra, you know?" she snarled at him. He immediately felt bad. She'd had an excellent idea, and they should try and see if it would work. What was wrong with him? Did he just not like the reminder of their destination?

"You're right. Absolutely right," he said hastily, reaching out to pull her towards him. She was stiff, refusing to relax at first. "We'll try," he whispered into her hair, breathing in her scent. "We can try as we go along – there'll be some people up, even now. You're so clever, Bella. I didn't think of doing that at all, and neither did Carlisle." She finally relaxed against him. He kissed her quickly on the lips. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

"Alright," she whispered back. "I just think it'd be a good idea..."

"You're right. It is a good idea. Shall we go?"

* * *

There were actually more people awake at that hour than Jasper had expected. Kiev was a large city and it never really went to sleep. He and Bella walked quickly along streets and sidewalks, heading in a generally western direction. Every so often, when they'd come across humans either walking along the street or in nearby buildings, they'd pause for a few moments to see if her shield could work on them.

It did. It took her several times, but she was finally able to do it.

"Whatever 'it' is," she said, laughing at her success. "I still don't quite know how I'm doing it. Oh, Jasper..." she said, her face falling.

"What, baby? What's wrong?" he asked with concern, instantly by her side and pulling her into a hug.

"If I could have done this before, Edward would still be alive... I failed him...us..."

It took everything Jasper had not to growl. Right now, he didn't fucking care about Edward being dead. He was, in fact, a little tired of hearing about Edward. Immediately he felt guilty. He sighed. At this rate, it would be him who needed to be on Dr. Phil, not Bella. She was just plain crazy. He, on the other hand, had 'issues'.

Emmett would have a heyday. Jasper could imagine it now – 'Jasper, the girl'. Except, since it was Emmett saying it, it would be 'Jasper, the pussy'. And then Jasper would be forced to beat the shit out of him.

Then they'd both be in trouble with Carlisle.

"No, Bella. You couldn't have saved Edward. He was taken down by sheer numbers, not _talent_. Your shield doesn't block the physical."

"Oh. True. I hadn't thought about that. So...it will be a good thing if I can shield you, right?"

"It will be a very good thing. I am much better at the physical than Edward, if you can protect me from the mental attacks."

"But we won't know if I'm shielding you, will we? I mean, can your talent go OUT of the shield if I'm protecting you?"

Jasper considered this. "I don't know... Okay, let's try that next. Try to shield ME, and I'll see if I can still feel the humans or influence them. Same thing, just shield ME instead of THEM."

"Of course. That was sort of obvious. I don't know why I didn't think of that before."

"Yeah, because you're the trained soldier in the group... Don't worry about it, Bella. Come on – try to shield me now."

They continued down the street, the light increasing around them as the morning progressed, even thought it was still cloudy. Bella put her shield around Jasper and he felt a moment of disorientation. Her emotions were flowing around him now. Muted – he didn't think he was feeling them full strength, not by a long shot. But he was feeling them. It was...different...than when she just let her shield down a little bit. She watched him in worried silence, but after a moment of getting used to it he grinned at her and said, "Alright. Let's go".

The first group of people they came across were workers in a bakery. There was a glass window, and they stopped to peer inside, ostensibly to look at the baked goods.

"Can you feel them?" Bella asked.

"Not really...maybe a little bit. I feel like I'm looking through really cloudy glass. I don't think I'm really feeling them at all."

"Try to make them feel something...I can see them from here."

"Fear," Jasper said. "That's usually the easiest to get a reaction from, especially with humans."

Bella watched the people for a moment. "They aren't doing anything, but I can certainly feel it... That's enough of that. Pick another emotion before I run off screaming and leave you here."

"Lust, maybe?" he asked, grinning at her.

"No, not that either." She turned and walked off down the street. "But you can definitely...feel...the shield around you?"

"Yep."

"That means it wasn't around you before – so my shield isn't what's stopping Alice from seeing you."

"Not necessarily, Bella. You could be shielding me on a low level all the time. You've just ramped it up a bit now - now that you're making an effort. How's your throat? All this should have made you really thirsty, based on your 'normal' feeding pattern."

"It burns," she said, her hand going to her throat. "Badly."

"Alright, let's get moving."

"I'm going to keep it up – for practice," she explained as they walked along. Jasper merely nodded as he walked by her side. After a few minutes of this, though, Jasper came to a sudden halt.

"What is it?" Bella asked, having to stop and turn back to him.

He held up his hand to silence her and stood on the side of the road, turning his head slowly from side to side. "Smell that?" he finally asked her.

She inhaled deeply and carefully, considering the various scents brought in by the air. Fuel. Smoke. Rotting garbage. A rotting carcass of some sort. Rats. Dogs. Various humans working in the surrounding buildings.

Vampire.

"Vampire," she whispered.

"Yes," Jasper said, nodding. "I hadn't realized the territory had been claimed. Well, it doesn't matter. We're leaving anyway."

"Claimed? Territory?" Bella questioned him as he started walking again. This time, he moved at a more human pace, clearly more cautious now.

"Territory. Vampires are very territorial, Bella." He glanced sideways at her and grinned a little at her apparent confusion. "You remember the story of my origins? And the southern wars?"

Bella nodded.

"Territory. Feeding territory. This is large city. It's not surprising at all that someone has claimed it. I'm surprised I missed it when we came in on the other side. It must have been because we rode in on that truck." He shook his head. "I'm so worried about the damn werewolves that I'm getting sloppy about paying attention to the worst threat. Like I said, though, we're clearly on our way out, so even if he's in the area, I doubt he'll bother us. I'm not sensing anything."

"He? How do you know it's a _he_?" Bella asked, checking the air again.

"Females rarely mark territory. He may have a mate, but she wouldn't be doing much boundary-marking, if any. "

Bella stopped and looked at him. "Are you SERIOUS?" she asked.

"Well, yeah," Jasper answered, stopping and looking at her in puzzlement. "Does that upset you?"

"It's just...so...I don't know...sexist! You mean, I can't mark out a territory for myself?"

"Do you WANT to? Alice, Rose, and Esme never felt the need to join us, but I guess if you want to, you can certainly help...."

"Wait, what? What do you mean? You have a territory at home?"

"It's technically Carlisle's, but yes...yes, the Cullens have a territory."

"But why? The Cullens don't even eat people! Why do you need a territory?"

"Well, we certainly don't want OTHER vampires coming in and feeding off humans in our vicinity, do we? Carlisle usually maintains a rather large territory because there are so many of us."

Bella thought about this for a moment. "How do you go about 'marking' your territory, and how in the hell did I not know this was going on?" Visions of Emmett lifting his leg by a tree flitted through her mind, making her smile.

Jasper shrugged. "I have no idea why you didn't realize it. Probably because, like I said, females rarely mark territory. Maybe it's a species thing. And as to how we do it, we just run a perimeter on a regular basis. The scent trail we leave behind is all that's needed to let passing nomads know that the territory is claimed."

"So all those long hunting trips...the male bonding..." she said, remembering.

Jasper nodded. "Exactly."

"How big? The territory, I mean. How big?"

"Well, in Washington, the whole Olympic Peninsula. In Alaska, we take the Kenai Peninsula, too. The Denalis take the mainland - they kinda consider the whole state theirs, to be honest with you. Nobody ever disputes our territory - we have different needs than most of our kind. They take the cities, we take the wilderness."

"I have a lot to learn, don't I?"

"And all the time in the world to do so," Jasper pointed out.

She looked at him for a moment, not saying anything, and Jasper's heart fell just a little bit. She nodded slowly, though, and it gave him hope. "Let's hurry," she said, turning back to continue on down the road. "Now I'm creeped out." She started picking up speed, quickly leaving him behind before even he realized it. Jasper felt her beginning to panic. Which reminded him...

"Bella! Drop the shield around me... I can't feel anything!"

She clearly did not like the idea of encountering another vampire. Not that he blamed her. He took off after her and was quickly catching up to her when, to his horror, a blurred shaped shot out of an alley between two warehouses and grabbed her, dragging her back into the shadows.

Jasper caught up with them a split second later. Another vampire held Bella – his scent matching the one they'd just been discussing. Jasper had been correct – it had belonged to a male. And he had Bella firmly in his grip, her arms restrained, and his teeth were at her neck.

A position all too familiar to Jasper – and, unfortunately, to Bella. She'd dropped the shield around Jasper the instant the strange vampire had grabbed her, but fear, panic, and anger were all leaking out now, and Jasper thought her shield might come down completely in her distress.

"Let her go," Jasper hissed in Russian.

"Not a chance, nomad," the vampire hissed back in the same language. "You come into my city, bringing that FILTH with you? I want to know why, or I will kill your mate."

"Do that and you will die, too," Jasper said, not bothering to correct him.

"And you will still be alone at the end," the stranger returned.

Bella was struggling more now. "Let go of me, Goddammit. Let me go! DON'T TOUCH ME!" she screamed in English.

"Tell her to stop struggling and screaming, or I will kill her now," he growled, jerking Bella hard and putting his teeth to her skin.

Before Jasper could say anything, however, Bella gave a mighty twist in the strange vampire's grip and broke free. In an instant, she grabbed his head and twisted it from his body while simultaneously kicking the torso further into the alley. She then tossed the head onto the ground behind her. She started keening, sounding almost hysterical, and she danced backwards away from the decapitated head that was lying in the rubbish.

"Holy shit!" Jasper yelled, staring at her in shock, and then at the headless torso coming toward them from the alley, clearly looking for its head as it stumbled around blindly. Jasper reached into his pocket and pulled out a lighter, moving toward the torso as he did so.

"What are you doing?" Bella yelled at him, her hysterics escalating.

"Destroying him!" Jasper yelled back.

"Stop it! Don't do that!"

Jasper stopped. "Excuse me?" he asked.

"Don't kill him!"

"Bella, you just ripped his freakin' head off – and now you don't want me to finish the job?"

"He might have a mate! You said he might have a mate!"

The head in the rubbish seemed to gurgle in agreement. Jasper walked over to it and gave it a kick, sending it flying deeper into the alleyway, away from the advancing torso.

"So what if he does? Did? Why do YOU care? He was going to kill you! I can't let that just happen without..."

"Without what, Jasper? If we kill him and he has a mate, then she'll just come after us – just like..." she trailed off, not finishing her sentence.

She didn't need to. Jasper knew what she was going to say. 'Just like me'.

He lowered the lighter and tried to reason with her. "YOU pulled off his head," he pointed out again, sounding sullen even to himself. The torso stumbled toward him, and he quickly sidestepped it, grabbing a leg as it passed him and throwing it up the alley, further away from its missing head.

"I don't like being touched. He was touching me. I told him to stop. What was I supposed to do?"

Didn't like being touched? That was news to him. He mentally filed it away in the growing folder of 'Things That Would Come Out In Therapy Someday'. He sighed and put the lighter away. "Alright, fine. But now we REALLY need to hurry. He's going to find his head soon and we don't want to be in the area when he does."

They quickly flitted out of the alley and down the street, not caring who might notice the blur of movement that was all that indicated their passing. Once they were out of the city and in the countryside, they finally slowed down.

"Why do you have a lighter?" Bella finally asked him. "Don't tell me you smoke..."

Jasper laughed. "No, Bella, I don't smoke. I WISH I could – well, I suppose I could if I wanted to, but it wouldn't actually do anything for me. So, no, I don't smoke. I keep it for just such a situation as back there. You never know when you're going to need to burn some son of a bitch to ashes."

Bella shivered and moved away from him, and Jasper cursed his thoughtless words.

"I'm sorry, Bella. I..."

"It's okay, Jasper. You didn't burn Edward. There's just so much I don't know about being a vampire."

"You know plenty about being a vampire, Bella. You know way more than you should about the dark side of being a vampire. It's the good parts you need to learn more about."

* * *

"Tell me again why we're in the back of this truck instead of running? Are we still trying to avoid your friend Mstislav? Because I don't think we've done a good job of it so far. We might as well have just asked him to ride along with us," Bella said.

"What's wrong? Don't you like hay? You seemed to like it just fine in that barn..." Jasper said, rolling onto his side in the hay so he could see her better.

Bella shifted on the bale of hay they were lying on, and then turned to look at him. "It's...hay. What do you want me to say about it?"

"Want to roll in it?" Jasper asked, only half joking. He reached out to touch her face gently before slipping a hand between the buttons of her coat and feeling his way through layers of clothing until he found the bare skin of her stomach.

She laughed and pushed his hand away. "I think we'd roll OFF if we tried that. You have a history of not being able to stay on moving vehicles. It's not like it's loose, like in a hayride or something. It's all baled up and uncomfortable. And don't point out that I can't be uncomfortable because I'm a vampire."

"We're riding on a truck because we're back in 'civilization' and can't really be seen running through fields and towns in the daylight. We went over that this morning before...the alley. Nor can we just hide somewhere during the day, like normal nomads, because we apparently have a werewolf that we just can't seem to shake." _Not to mention the mission-of-death we're on,_ he added to himself.

"Is that what we are now? Abnormal nomads? Back in Siberia you said we weren't nomads at all – we were travellers."

Jasper shrugged and returned to his original position on his back beside her, keeping a hold of her hand. "You're right. We have a coven we belong in. A family to return to."

"I want to talk about the whole territory thing," she said suddenly.

Jasper groaned. "Again? Can't we just drop it?"

"I don't WANT to drop it," she said stubbornly. "I want to understand the purpose of it."

"Purpose? How the hell would I know? It's not like some anthropologist or something has done an in- depth study of vampire behavior, Bella. We do it to establish feeding territories, to prevent fighting, to make a safe place for ourselves and our mates... And before you get on your feminist soap box again, I don't KNOW why it's the males doing it and not the females. It just IS. Maybe because most of us come from male-dominant societies. I don't KNOW. If it's so important to you, when we get home you can go running with us. I hardly think it would matter to Emmett or Carlisle."

"A safe place for our mates," she whispered. "Edward and I didn't do a very good job of protecting each other, did we? We weren't very good mates. I don't know why you want to be with me... Look how much trouble I'm getting YOU into already. And we're not even in Volterra yet."

"Trouble?" he snorted. "You forget where I came from, Bella."

"I haven't forgotten," she whispered. "But...there will be so MANY of them. There were so many when they took down Edward and me. He couldn't stop them..."

"Look, Bella. You gotta understand that Edward was a great guy, but he had no experience with fighting. None of the Cullens do... Not really. Carlisle, maybe. But the rest of them? Not at all. Carlisle has created, I don't know, this nice, safe, little haven for all of us to exist in...where we all get to pretend we're human instead of monsters. We're isolated from some of the realities of our world. None of them had EVER fought until recently. You already know more about the 'real' vampire world than all of the Cullens put together – with the exception of me and Carlisle."

"Until I came along," Bella whispered. "I ruined Carlisle's world..."

"Don't be foolish, Bella. The Volturi were eyeing the Cullens long before you showed up. Have no doubt about that."

"They must hate me," she said, ignoring what he said.

"They don't hate you, Bella. Nobody could hate you. You KNOW this. You talked to Carlisle and Esme yourself." Jasper inwardly groaned. He really did not want to be rehashing this with her.

"Alice must. I mean..."

"DON'T," Jasper snarled.

In an instant, she was away from his side and huddled at the front of the truck.

And just as quickly, he was by her side. "Don't start this again, Isabella. I don't want Alice. I want YOU." He reached out and pulled her, without complaint, onto his lap.

"I just feel..." she began, hesitating, "I still feel like... if you weren't here with me, even though your bond with her was broken, if you could have STAYED with her, you could have reformed it. Instead, you had to chase me down, and this...happened. And now, because of me, you can never reform that bond."

"I don't WANT to reform that bond," Jasper said, kissing the top of her head. The stink of the strange vampire was still on her from that morning, and he had to stop a growl from escaping him. Instead, he rubbed his face in her hair, not-so-subtly trying to cover up the scent with his own. She either didn't notice or chose not to comment on his actions. "I don't even REMEMBER that bond. It's like something I read in a book. I can't explain it, Bella. Just please, I can't say it enough, please trust me."

"But what about Alice? What if SHE wanted to reform that bond?"

"I've TALKED to Alice," Jasper reminded her. "She is happy for us." He hoped she didn't notice the unintentional emphasis he'd put on 'she' – he didn't want to address what appeared to be a problem with their other sister's acceptance of their relationship. Nobody had said anything to him, but he knew his family well. And he knew something was not quite right on that front.

"I know. I'm just scared."

"About going home?"

"Yes."

Jasper laughed. "You're not scared at the prospect of trying to extract some sort of revenge on the Volturi, but going home to the Cullens has you in a frenzy?" He began to unbutton her coat. It, too, smelled of the stranger, and he decided that perhaps if he lay on it - or wore it - that the stench wouldn't be so bad. But if he took it off of her, she'd be on the hay. Alright, he'd take care of that later.

"I am beyond scared about the Volturi," she murmured, letting him push her back into the hay. "But I can't do anything about that."

"Yes you can," he whispered against the skin of her stomach. He pushed her shirt up further, following its ascent up her torso with his lips. "You can just ignore it. The pull isn't as strong any more, is it?" he said, continuing to kiss her skin softly. The stress of that morning's encounter was starting to emerge now that they were safe and alone. He fought back the urge to claim her...to mark her as his own, right now. He didn't think she'd appreciate it since they hadn't really discussed their...status. And she'd certainly marked him enough, even though he knew it was not the intentional marking of a mate. Right now he'd have to be content to just be her lover.

"No, it's not," she whispered, quickly pulling her arms out of the sleeves of her coat.

"Not nearly as strong as your pull to me. Right, baby?"

"Not nearly," she whispered. "How did you...know?"

"I just KNOW. I can feel it...when you let me feel you at all. I feel your pull. I feel it getting stronger..." He pushed her shirt up over her breasts, and then decided to remove it completely. "Just give in to it, Bella. Please...."

"I want to," she whimpered, beginning to squirm under his touch.

"I KNOW you do."

"The other pull..."

"Just let it go, Bella. Don't give in to your instincts. Let it go. You KNOW revenge won't change anything. Let it go. Stay with me." He was almost pleading now, pressing his lips to her stomach before moving lower, and causing her to whimper more.

"I don't know if I can. It will always be hanging over us..."

He stopped for a moment, considering this. She was probably right. It WOULD be always there, in the background. "Alright," he finally sighed. "We'll think of something. We'll figure something out - some way to get rid of it. Some way that doesn't involve you getting yourself killed." _Better hurry on that promise, Jasper_, he told himself. _Every mile brings you closer to her destruction_.

"Yes," she sighed.

* * *

A/N -Thanks to everyone who has voted in "Everything's Bigger in Texas." If you haven't, there's still time!

A/N: The Lambs are hosting another contest, the 'We Don't Need No Stinkin' Coven' Contest! Dedicated to those hot and wild nomads! Go to the Altered Lions and Sacrificial Lambs web site and click on the link, or look up "We Don't Need No Stinkin Coven" under "authors" on FanFiction, and read the great stories. Better yet, write an entry!


	30. Chapter 30

A/N SM Owns it all.

Chapter 30

The ride in the hay truck had ended very inconveniently - and abruptly - at a large dairy farm. They'd barely had time to get dressed and out of the truck before being discovered, even with their vampire speed. They hid in a shed on the farm for the rest of the morning, trapped by a sun that had finally decided to show itself. Bella attempted to resume their activities from earlier, but Jasper was having none of it this time.

"Stop it," he hissed quietly as she tried to slip his coat off.

"What is WRONG with you?" she hissed back, sitting back with a huff.

"We are hardly in a safe location here," he told her quietly. _And the list of things wrong with me right now is way too long. _"We almost got CAUGHT on that truck, Bella. We...YOU...did get caught this morning in Kiev. Christ, Bella, you almost got torn apart AGAIN this morning. We've got to pull our heads out of the clouds and pay attention to what is going on around us."

"Well, excuse the hell out of me! This morning didn't happen because our heads were 'in the clouds'; we were practicing with my shield, which was YOUR idea, and we found out something pretty important, I'd say."

"Yeah, we found out I couldn't fucking pay attention to what I should have been paying attention to."

"Exactly!" Bella said triumphantly. "And if it disoriented YOU when you KNEW what was happening, won't it disorient other people, especially if it's unexpected? Even if it isn't able to stop them from doing what they can do for very long – which we'll have no way of knowing until it's pretty much too late – at least it might give us a little bit of an advantage, you know, while they're trying to figure out what's going on..." her voice trailed off, sounding uncertain. "At least...it's a thought."

Jasper's frustration with her faded a bit and he nodded his head, thinking about what she said. "No, it's a good thought. You've got a good point there."

She leaned into him again. "See? So maybe we should practice some more now?"

"NO," he said sharply. "This is not a good place. I need to be able to sense what is going on around us. We're trapped here. We didn't even get a chance to choose a good hiding place because there was so much activity in that barnyard. No, we're going to do nothing but lay low right now, and then we'll take off as soon as the sun allows us to. Now is NOT a good time to practice...anything." He did, however, reach out and pull her to him. "We will sit and be still for now, Bella," he whispered into her hair, "and leave as soon as possible."

They really did do nothing the rest of the morning, sitting almost completely still in the darkness of the storage shed. The only movement at all was Jasper's hands, which spent quite a bit of time playing with Bella's hair. He'd undone the braids he'd put in earlier that day and combed her hair out with his fingers until he was sure the smell of the strange vampire was completely gone and replaced with his own. He wasn't quite sure what could be done about the smell on her coat, but he hoped the mere act of holding her close all day would take care of that little problem. The activity in the farmyard outside the shed never did slow down as the morning wore on, but around midday the light dimmed and it began to rain. Within minutes of the rain falling, all human activity outside had faded away.

Finally, when he could neither hear nor sense anyone in their vicinity, he whispered to Bella that it was time to leave. She stood up with him and turned in his embrace to kiss him.

"Soon baby, I promise," he whispered. "We'll find a...better, safer place to hide in tomorrow. You'll see."

Within ten minutes of walking along the road in the light drizzle, they were picked up by another truck. This time, though, they were sitting up front with the truck driver. Jasper told him they were going to the city of Berdychiv, and it turned out he was driving through it. He thought they'd arrive by late afternoon. Bella thought the road - and the man's driving - left something to be desired. She pretended to sleep, trying to ignore the increasingly painful burn in her throat caused by the nearness of the driver in such an enclosed space. She much preferred riding in the back of farm trucks to riding in the cab. Jasper and the man held a casual conversation off and on throughout the day, using a combination of Russian, English, and German - all three languages that Jasper spoke fluently, but the Ukrainian driver did not.

The only good thing that came from the ride was the opportunity for them to practice playing around with Bella's shield. While she pretended to sleep, she alternated between shielding the human and shielding Jasper until she could do both with ease. Jasper spent the day either growing accustomed to not having the use of his talent or only being able to use it in a broken manner.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity to both Bella and Jasper, Jasper had the driver drop them off on the outskirts of Berdychiv, telling him that they would walk to Bella's uncle's house from there. He handed the man some money – local currency that he'd exchanged his rubles for the day before in Kiev – and bid the man a 'thank you and farewell'.

"Thank God," Bella whispered as the truck chugged away. "I was about to take him out. Can we hunt?"

"Not this instant, Bella. We're in town and it's still daylight. We'll need to wait until sundown - probably another half hour at least - before it's dark enough for us to run. Until then, we walk. Just act like we have a destination in mind and nobody should stop us." Jasper headed off down a side street that followed a generally southwest direction.

"So," she said after a few minutes, "what did you figure out about your powers and my shield? Anything useful? I feel like all I did was flip a light switch all day – 'on', 'off', 'on', 'off'".

Jasper laughed. "Well, I found out it ALWAYS felt like I was bogged down when you were shielding ME, but by the end of the afternoon I could work through the shield and affect him. I just had to get used to it. When HE was shielded, though, I never could break through that - neither to feel him nor influence him."

"So that's good news, right?" she asked.

"I'd say so. It means we both should be protected from some, if not all, of the Volturi's gifted vampires...at least, in theory. There will be no way to know for sure..." he trailed off.

"Until it's too late," she finished for him.

"Yeah."

Full night eventually came, and with it the opportunity to run. It wasn't until almost midnight that they came across a herd of deer and were able to feed, continuing to run until dawn afterwards. As the sun rose, they stopped and hid in an old windmill.

"It looks like something from Holland," Bella said.

"They use windmills all over Europe, not just Holland," Jasper told her.

"You know, I feel like I'm in Kansas or something."

"Not Holland now? Well, you're definitely not in Kansas anymore, Dorothy," Jasper said.

"Very funny, Mr. Whitlock. I mean, it's just so...flat and boring out here."

"The Ukraine has been called the breadbasket of Europe," Jasper said. "Although, after Chernobyl, their agriculture took a serious hit in areas. And have you even BEEN to Kansas before?"

"No, but I've HEARD it's flat and boring."

"It has its moments, but yeah, that pretty much sums it up. It's a tough place to be a vampire, I'll give you that much. We should be hitting the mountains again in a couple of nights, and then we'll cross in to Romania. The Carpathian Mountains..." he trailed off and looked expectantly at her.

"Should that mean something to me?"

"Carpathian Mountains...Romania...Transylvania..." he continued to watch for her reaction.

It took a moment, but he finally got what he was waiting for. "Dracula? Are you SERIOUS? Dracula is REAL?"

Jasper started laughing and she hit him. "Hey! Don't hit me!"

"You're MEAN, Jasper!"

"I'm not being mean, but you should have seen your face, Bella!"

"Humph," she snorted, turning away from him.

"Don't be that way..." he said, trying to turn her towards him.

"Don't YOU be that way," she retorted, refusing to be turned. "All I did was ask you a question. You laughed at me!"

"I wasn't laughing at your question, Bella," Jasper whispered in her ear, putting his arms around her and pulling her into his torso. She didn't relax, but she allowed him to do that much. "I was laughing at your face."

"Like that makes me feel better," she pouted, but he saw a ghost of a smirk as he nuzzled her neck.

"Hmm...to answer your question, no, Dracula is NOT real. And the man the humans claim started that legend - Vlad Dracul, or Vlad the Impaler - was not a vampire either. But the Carpathian vampires ARE very real. Very real and very, very old - as old as Aro, Caius, and Marcus, if not older. They were definitely there when good ole Vlad was doing his dastardly deeds, and they have been at odds with the Volturi for a very, very long time."

"At odds? What exactly does THAT mean? Are you leading us straight into a war zone, Jasper?"

"I don't think so," he whispered, slipping her coat off before continuing to nuzzle her neck.

His hands started to roam up and down her ribs, and she hummed in pleasure. "There used to be many more in the Romanian coven. They were large - larger than our family - back in a time long before Vlad. But they became greedy, not taking care to hide their nature well enough to suit the Volturi, from what I understand. And the Volturi came in and put an end to it. You see, it comes down to a difference in philosophies, I guess you could say. The Romanians felt like it was their place to rule the humans - even if they were doing it through puppets like Vlad. It was an old tradition among our kind, much more common in the early days, thousands of years ago. The Volturi, however, had long felt that times were changing and that it would be better for us to hide ourselves amongst the humans. We are, after all, vulnerable to fire. And while rare, it HAS occurred occasionally throughout history where the tables have been turned on us by our prey and we've had to pay the ultimate price for it. So, the Volturi came into some real power about a thousand years ago. The three brothers established the Guard and hunted for humans with "talent" to enhance their own group's power. It wasn't long before they began enforcing their rule on the other covens in Europe. Since most of the groups were very small, they bowed down before them quickly. But not the Romanians."

Jasper's hands were still busy on her rib cage, but they began to move lower, sliding down to her tummy and dipping lower to unbutton her trousers. "Jasper, is this story really appropriate foreplay?" she whispered.

"I'm multi-tasking, Bella. I'm a vampire – I can do that."

"Hmm..." She wiggled her backside against him, causing him to groan in response. "I can multi-task, too," she whispered, grinding against him again. "I wonder, Jasper..." she said thoughtfully, continuing to move in a manner he found most distracting, "if I'M multi-tasking, how much longer do you think YOU'LL be multi-tasking?"

"Point taken, Bella," he choked out, pushing her away from him. He swung her around so she was facing him, their knees barely touching, but he held on to both her hands. "Now, where was I?"

"But not the Romanians," Bella said. "The Romanians wouldn't bow down."

"Right. Well, we call them the Romanians, but Vladimir and Stefan aren't actually Romanian. You must understand, like I said, they are older than the three brothers. There have been humans in what is now Romania longer than anywhere else in Europe, so who knows how old they really are? Hell, they might be the grand-sires of us all."

"Wait, they what?"

"Well, we came from SOMEWHERE, Bella," Jasper pointed out.

"I guess I never thought about it."

"Well, it's not like we keep records of things like that. Perhaps the Volturi do, but if so, they aren't sharing. I mean, Carlisle doesn't even KNOW who his sire was, and that's not too uncommon of a thing for us. My sire was Maria, but I never even asked her who her sire was, and I was with her for almost a century."

"Wow."

"Yes, wow. ANYWAY, so the Romanians had a pretty good set-up in this part of the world - lots of mountainous territory, lots of superstitious, isolated humans, and a part of the world that seemed to be constantly overrun with invasion attempts. Life was good. But all good things eventually come to an end, and the Volturi decided to put an end to the party here. The Romanians, who were as great in number and almost as talent-laden as the Guard, put up a fight. They didn't win, of course, but it was a close thing. In the end, only Vladimir and Stefan were left. I don't know why they left them alive – Carlisle doesn't either - but they've been lurking around the Carpathians ever since, nursing a grudge."

"Have you ever met them?" Bella asked, curious.

"No. Carlisle met them a couple times when he was young and still wandering Europe. My information comes from him, and from stories told to me by other older vampires. They're sort of used as a cautionary tale, especially in this part of the world – much like the Southern Wars are in the western hemisphere."

"Huh. But you don't think they'll bother us?"

He shrugged. "I don't know why they would, or that they'd even know we were in the area. The way I understand it, they have pretty much isolated themselves in some drafty castle in the mountains somewhere."

"Huh. This is so cool, learning about other vampires. Learning our history. I bet you have lots of neat stories, old man." She used his hands as leverage to pull herself onto his lap and wrap her legs around his waist. He dropped her hands and grabbed her hips, pulling her in closer to him.

"Hmm...I do. If I'd known they'd work like an aphrodisiac, I would have started telling you stories sooner."

"Like we needed help," Bella snorted, leaning in to kiss him.

"True," he mumbled around her lips. "But it's something to keep in mind for later..."

"Definitely."

He started to pull her shirt off, but then hesitated for a moment.

"Why are you stopping?" she asked impatiently. She dropped her shield enough for him to feel her need. "We're safe enough here, aren't we? Nobody for miles, probably. And it's still raining outside. And nobody has been in this place for ages. It's perfect in here, Jasper. Just PERFECT." She pushed his hands away and quickly pulled her shirt off herself, and then his, being careful not to rip them in her haste.

He pulled her close again, running his hands up and down her back before moving them around to her front and gently cupping her breasts.

"I love your breasts," he murmured, squeezing them together and lowering his head to kiss both of them. "I think they may be the best ones in the whole world. They are definitely my favorite ones. Have I told you that lately?"

"Hmm..." she hummed, arching her back. "Not lately. In fact, not since the train ride. They're feeling terribly neglected and unloved."

"Well, we can't have that now, can we? They need to be properly worshipped so they don't develop a complex or something."

"Oh, ungh....absolutely." She closed her eyes, losing herself in the sensation he was creating as he ran his thumbs across her nipples. "I...oh...God...they missed you...oh, Christ, Jasper..."

He lowered his mouth to suck one nipple in and she lost the ability to form coherent words. His left hand slid down her belly and began to unbutton her pants while his right hand continued to play with her breast. After a moment, his mouth switched sides and he stood, pulling her up with him. He quickly used both hands to slide her pants off, and then his, never releasing her nipple. She gripped his shoulders to maintain her balance, but it was only a moment before he was seated once more, Bella straddling him again. This time, however, there was nothing between them. He started nipping his way up from her breast to her neck, heading for her sensitive scar, and she pushed herself against him even harder in response.

"I need you NOW," Bella finally managed to gasp out. "RIGHT now."

Jasper was only too happy to oblige. He grabbed her hips, raised her up slightly, and groaned deeply as she slid down over him. She locked her ankles together behind him and leaned away from him until she was supporting her weight with her hands. Using only her legs' muscles and the leverage from her locked ankles, she started moving on him, keeping to a slow rhythm that he thought might possibly drive him mad.

He grabbed her hips, trying to speed her up a little, but she grinned at him and refused to cooperate. He gave up after a moment and contented himself with enjoying what she was doing to him because it was pretty clear that she was enjoying it immensely.

The angle it put her at was new to them both, and he decided it might be his new favorite position. It gave him a fantastic view of her breasts – they moved in a way he found more than fascinating. The contracting and relaxing of her thigh muscles on his hips as she moved against him were in sync with the contracting and relaxing of her inner muscles wrapped around his cock, and he thought he might be driven mad with desire and lust if she kept it up too much longer. He briefly thought about sending her a heavy dose of his own lust, forcing her to speed her game along to its conclusion, but then decided against it. As maddening as it was, he'd much rather see where she was taking them.

Instead he leaned forward a bit and slid both hands up her torso and between her breasts, and then circled around to bring them back down the sides of her torso. She arched her back a little and whimpered when he bypassed her breasts, and he cocked an eye and grinned at her. He did it again, and this time she pouted at him. The third time he did it - again deliberately avoiding her breasts - she stopped moving and started to unhook her ankles, glaring at him.

He quickly slid his hands up again, this time taking a breast in each one, and he ran his thumbs over her sensitive nipples. She moaned a little in approval and went back to her slow rocking movements, this time closing her eyes and allowing her head to fall back a little.

He could feel her lust and need increasing along with his own, although he was still unwilling to influence or mix their emotions. Just feeling how strong hers were becoming towards him was enough of a rush right now. Still, though, he didn't think he could take it much longer, and he was starting to get the feeling that she could keep up this slow pace all night. Not that that would be a bad thing – not at all. But...

He slid one hand back down her torso, allowing it to rest on her soft skin near where they were joined together. His thumb started making lazy circles above her mound, pushing softly against her skin. He moved it slowly downward until finally he brushed it across her clit.

Her response was immediate. She jerked her hips upward, breaking the rhythm of their slow rocking, and cried out a little. Her head jerked up at the same time and her eyes opened, meeting his. He grinned at her and brought his thumb across the sensitive nub again, and she whimpered this time. He lowered his other hand to grab her hip, encouraging her to continue the movement she'd apparently forgotten about, and after a moment she did. This time, though, he started moving his thumb against her at the same speed.

She started moving faster, and he could feel her coming undone around him, her movements becoming quick and almost spastic. He felt himself beginning to follow her over the edge, and suddenly she was wrapped around him again, her mouth on his shoulder, his head buried in her neck. Through the waves of pleasure that were carrying them both over the cliff, he mentally braced himself for the by-now-familiar feel of her teeth on him, but this time instead of biting down, her mouth moved against his skin. The feel of her breath against him sent shivers of another sort coursing through him.

"I love you," he felt, rather than heard, her whisper against him.

They spent the rest of the day in the windmill alternating between Jasper telling Bella stories about vampire history and making love. Neither one of them mentioned what Bella had said, but Jasper could sense a difference in both the way she was feeling and the way she responded to him. He didn't need to hear the words aloud to know they were true, and he didn't want to confront her about feelings that were obviously new, and raw, and fragile. It was enough that he'd felt them on his skin. As the sun went down, they redressed and quietly left the windmill, moving slowly through the darkness and towards the west.

Two more nights of easy travel found them once again in the mountains - beautiful, forested mountains, Bella thought. They were now able to travel both day and night, although they had to be considerably more cautious during the day. They were also able to hunt more regularly. Jasper didn't need to, but it certainly helped Bella to be able to feed, and feed well, on a daily basis.

In the early evening of their second day in the mountains, Bella was draining a lynx she'd caught. Jasper, who wasn't hungry enough to justify sharing it with her, hovered nearby, protecting her while she fed. Suddenly he stiffened. They were no longer alone. In a split second he moved from where he'd been standing to crouch over her protectively, facing the woods and growling. She stopped drinking, but Jasper put a hand on her shoulder to reassure her. "Finish. Quickly," he whispered.

"Those are endangered, you know," said a figure in perfect Russian, appearing suddenly under a nearby tree off to their side. A split second later the figure was only feet away from them, and Jasper moved to stand between Bella and the stranger. Jasper could make out no details, as the figure wore a black cloak with a deep hood, and its voice was androgynous. Bella, for her part, sucked the last of the blood from the cat and dropped the carcass to the forest floor before standing up. Jasper put his arm out to keep her behind him.

"We know," Jasper said shortly and in the same language. God, he was sick of environmentally conscious vampires. "She was hungry. It was here. Besides, it was a male."

"Genetic diversity is important," the figure said and then tsked. "So many people underestimate the important role a broad-based genetic pool plays when trying to help a species recover."

"Well, Ranger Rick, you have our apologies," Jasper said, not sounding apologetic at all. "I guess we'll just be moving along now, and we'll be sure to dine on something else next time."

"Oh, don't be so quick to leave now," the figure said, throwing back its hood to reveal the pale features and red eyes of one of their own kind. "I'm here to extend an invitation to you from my masters."

"Under other circumstances, we'd be more than glad to accept. However, we're sort of in a hurry to get somewhere," Jasper told him. He was pretty certain he knew who this vampire's masters were, and he did not want to make a side trip to meet them. The last he'd heard, the Romanians had been alone. Apparently this was no longer true. The vampire standing in front of them was no newborn, but a seasoned vampire. His mind moved swiftly through various escape scenarios. Even so, he should be able to take him down – unless the vampire had some sort of talent. There were two of them, but only one stranger.

"Don't bother trying to run," the man said pleasantly. "I'm not alone out here. We were told you'd be coming this way, so we've been waiting for you."

Jasper knew the vampire wasn't lying and he sighed. He reached behind him and grabbed Bella's hand, pulling her to his side. "Alright. We'll accept the invitation. Let us get dressed first?"

The man nodded. "Of course." He turned his back but didn't move away. Jasper didn't like that at all. He fought back the urge to growl at the interloper again. He cast out his senses, trying to determine if there WERE any others in the immediate area. They appeared to be alone, at least in the immediate vicinity. Alright, then. He didn't like it, but he wouldn't place Bella in possible danger by arguing. Once again, they were in a situation with too many variables. There were too many unknowns, and just enough 'knowns' to make him nervous. Oddly enough, in the midst of the danger, he refused to have her meeting these elders in the clothes she was wearing to hunt in.

"Bella," he said softly in English, even though he knew the stranger could hear and no doubt understand what he was saying. "We're going to go with him."

She nodded. "Alright, Jasper."

Jasper was more than a little pleased to see that she didn't question his decision or argue with him. He took it as a good sign that she was willing to trust his judgment in situations where they were in danger. It was the behavior of a mate. He would behave the same with her if it was a situation where she clearly had more knowledge of what was going on than he did. Although, right now, he couldn't think of how that might occur, but he knew he'd trust her when it did happen.

"Trust me." It came out as a half question, half order.

"Of course, Jasper."

"We, um," he glanced back at the vampire whose back was still turned to them, "we're going to go ahead and change now into our...better clothes. It looks like we're going to be meeting those people I told you about earlier, okay? And I think we'll feel better about the whole thing if we're not in these clothes when that happens."

She smiled. "Maybe, maybe not. But...we're changing here? Right now? With him...watching?" Her smile faltered as she looked over his shoulder at the robed figure.

Jasper sighed. "Unfortunately. Quickly, now. I'll hold up my coat – that will give you a bit of privacy." He reached down to the backpack and pulled out his coat, unrolling it and holding it up like a curtain. She quickly stripped her hunting clothes off and pulled on the nicer clothing they'd kept in the bag.

"Everything?" she asked him.

"Yes," he nodded. "I don't know where exactly we're going. It's always best to blend in."

"Do you want me to hold the coat for YOU?" she asked when she was done, looking at the stranger once again. The man had not moved an inch.

"That's alright, Bella," Jasper said with a smirk. "I just didn't like the idea of him being able to see my m...to see you."

"Well," she retorted, "Maybe I don't like the idea of him being able to see YOU!"

"Trust me. He's not interested in me."

"Oh, and he is in me?"

"More than I'd like," Jasper hissed under his breath, not caring if the stranger heard him or not.

Bella stiffened and looked closer at the stranger. Her mind was relegating him into a whole other level of 'dangerous', and Jasper didn't need to feel her emotions to know what she'd done.

"Ready?" he asked as he was pulling his boots on.

"Oh, wait," she said, looking down at her own bare feet. "I forgot," she laughed. "Time to play civilized again, huh?" She pulled her boots on, and then pulled her tangled hair back into a pony tail before stuffing it down inside her coat and pulling her hat on. There wasn't anything she could do about her hair without a hairbrush – something they'd both forgotten to put in the bag when they'd left the hotel. It was going to take some real effort to act 'civilized' again, and she wondered briefly if it would even be worth the effort. She knew on some level what could possibly be waiting at the other end of the tugging that pulled her towards Italy.

"Yep," Jasper said, interrupting her ruminating. He stuffed their hunting clothes back in the bag and then stuffed the Bond Bag in after them so they were only carrying one piece of luggage. 'You've got your papers, just in case?"

She nodded.

"Alright," Jasper said, turning back to the strange vampire. "We're ready."

The man turned around. "Alright. Follow me."

"Is it very far?" Jasper asked as they fell in behind the vampire.

"Not far," he answered shortly.

Jasper knew that that was all the answer they were going to get from him. He grabbed Bella's hand, pulling her to run beside him as they followed the vampire who was flitting through the woods. Soon they were joined by two other vampires - both male - neither of whom were newborns. Jasper was more than a little nervous at the situation. He'd been unhappy before with just the one. He knew he could take all three of them and probably win, but he couldn't risk Bella. He had no idea what she would do in a fight, in spite of what she'd done to the vampire in Kiev - that could have been a fluke or luck on her part. The only other time he'd seen her fight was against the werewolves, and that hadn't gone well for her at all. So, they followed.

The man must have actually meant what he'd said because they'd only been running for a half hour or so before he slowed down to a walk. A human-speed walk. The rest of the group also slowed, and a moment later they exited the woods onto a road. The road was paved and looked to be fairly well-used. A few minutes later they rounded a bend, and Bella gasped at the view.

"Dracula's castle?" she asked Jasper.

"Not really," Jasper chuckled.

"But it is our destination," the vampire leading them said in accented English, finally breaking his silence.

The road led them to an ancient-looking, stone bridge where they crossed a river. They entered a village that, under different circumstances, Bella would have called 'charming'. It was evening now and people were still walking about, but nobody glanced twice at their strange little group, three of whom were dressed in black hooded robes and two in Siberian garb that was clearly out of place here in the Romanian Mountains. Above the village, on a tall, steep-sided hill, sat an ancient-looking castle.

"This is very surreal," Bella said to Jasper as they walked through the small village, the road leading up and around the hillside. "Do you feel that way?"

"Surreal is one word to describe it," he snorted. "This whole trip has been surreal, Bella."

"Well, if we're going to go THAT far, my whole life as a vampire has been surreal," she retorted. "But being HERE - blood in my hair from my last few meals, dressed like a...like a...Russian political exile to Siberia, being kidnapped by vampires and stolen away to Dracula's castle... THAT'S surreal."

"Don't forget to mention the part where the whole thing is interrupting your suicide revenge mission." Jasper muttered.

"You are not being kidnapped," one of the vampires behind them said as they came to a stop in front of an ancient stone building. The castle now towered above them, and it was difficult to make out anymore as they were almost directly below its walls.

"Oooh...he has a voice. And he speaks English, no less. Amazing!" Bella said sarcastically, not bothering to look behind her. "And it certainly FEELS like we're being kidnapped. I'm sorry, do they have a different word for it in this part of the world?"

"Our masters merely wish to speak with you. Afterwards, you will be free to leave."

"Well, that's SO good to know," she told him. "But that whole period of time in between MY interrupted meal and us being free to leave again definitely qualifies as kidnapping in MY book."

Jasper smirked and let her rant. She was clearly on a roll and he enjoyed watching her like this.

"We are NOT kidnapping you," the other one said, sounding a bit angry. "We're..."

"Enough!" said the one in front, stopping to glare at them from within his hood. "All of you be quiet. You're attracting attention." And sure enough, several of the locals had stopped to watch their group curiously.

"You mean being dressed like freaks didn't do it? Besides, I thought that wasn't an issue here," Bella smarted back at him.

"They are used to our comings and goings; they are NOT used to public disputes. Keep your woman still, Empath, or there will be trouble," he snarled at Jasper.

Jasper stiffened. They knew what he was. He didn't like that at all, not one little bit. He hadn't used his powers on them, not even to diffuse the situation. He'd seen no need to since they wouldn't have worked on Bella at all, and she was causing most of the trouble as far as he was concerned. He'd found the whole thing entertaining, but not anymore.

"His 'WOMAN'?" Bella said, her voice easily jumping an octave. "His 'WOMAN'?" She took two steps toward the leader, rising up on her toes as she shrieked at him.

"Bella," Jasper said, putting a hand on her arm, but she shook him off.

"What the hell does THAT mean? I'm not some kind of second class citizen, buddy, and definitely not someone he can keep still," she hissed up into his hooded face.

There were more people gathered in the street now, all of them keeping a safe distance from their group but clearly fascinated by the show.

"Clearly. I would have thought that the members of Carlisle Cullen's coven would have had better taste than to go about with harlots and trash," the man said with disdain, looking past her to Jasper.

Bella pulled her hand back and slapped him lightening fast across his face before any of them could react. The crack echoed out across the valley and Jasper noticed that the humans who'd been watching them had suddenly all dispersed, as if they knew that things were about to get ugly.

The man lunged for Bella, making a grab for her throat, but she sidestepped him. Jasper lunged for the man and then had him on the ground with his hands around his throat, growling. The man struggled in vain beneath him, clearly no match in either size or strength, but behind them the other two had grabbed Bella, who was now struggling and screaming in earnest. "Let me go! You sons of bitches, let me go!" From his peripheral vision Jasper could see that she was finding it impossible to break away from the hold they had on her.

Suddenly the door in front of them opened. There was no light in the room behind the door, but they didn't need light to see who stood in the doorway.

"I think perhaps it would be better if we took this inside. Don't you agree, children?" Carlisle asked pleasantly.

* * *

A/N Once again, nobody got replies from me...but this time I get to blame FF! They sent me NOTHING until last night. In fact, according to them, nobody read my story between late Friday and Monday night. I figured the FF stats were lying...and by the looks of the reviews last night, I was right. But...I was not going to stay up late answering them. Sorry 'bout that! Actually, for a while, I thought maybe the story nazis had found me and had it pulled, which I found amazing since the lemons weren't that, um, outstanding/graphic/etc. And speaking of lemons.. Nothing exciting happened during the writing of the lemon in this chapter. Nothing. Nadda. Zilch. In fact, a lot of concentration was wasted by me WAITING for something to happen. But it never did. I'm not quite sure what to make of it...


	31. Chapter 31

A/N: SM owns it all! Everybody really seemed to enjoy Carlisle's appearance in the last chapter. Good thing I'm not too evil, or this chapter would be from some new POV from a character you never heard of before, taking place on the other side of the world...and then I'd go on vacation for three weeks.

Love and Kisses to my Beta, JaspersDestiny, who I've been neglecting to thank enough lately...

Chapter 31

Bella leaned back and whispered, "Jasper?"

"Yes, Bella?"

"Is 'surrealer' a word? Because things are really getting 'surrealer'."

"I don't think it is, Bella, but it definitely should be."

They were walking through a narrow tunnel, gradually moving upwards. After Carlisle's sudden and totally unexpected appearance, nobody had said a thing. All activity and fighting had ceased, and they'd all followed him inside the building in a flash. The inside of the building had been empty, and he'd led them into the basement and through a door hidden in a stone wall at the back, facing the hill. That's where they'd entered the tunnel.

Jasper had felt shock coming from Carlisle when he'd first opened the door, quickly followed by relief - presumably at seeing the two of them alive. Aggravation followed, and then a tinge of disgust. Jasper didn't want to think too much about what that could be directed at. As soon as the two vampires had released Bella, she'd run to Jasper's side and clung to him. She'd refused to look at any of them, and Jasper had hugged her tight, kissing her quickly on the cheek. Carlisle had looked them over to ascertain that they were, indeed, alright, and then he'd nodded at Jasper, turned around, and entered the building, leaving them to follow in silence. The other three had taken up the rear.

So here they were now, following the blond vampire through the bowels of the mountain towards an unknown destination. Carlisle still felt happy for the most part, but there was a level of uncertainty, nervousness, and maybe a tinge of fear beneath his happiness. The three behind them were angry – with him and Bella, no doubt – and aggravated, he assumed, with Carlisle for interrupting them. He could feel nothing from Bella.

After their whispered exchange, silence fell once again. Jasper was sure that if either of them had addressed Carlisle, he would have been more than happy to speak to them. But anything Jasper had to say, he didn't feel like saying in front of Ranger Rick and the junior rangers behind them. And he felt sure that Bella would not speak unless spoken to. He couldn't feel her, but she'd expressed enough nervousness over the past few months about her reunion with the Cullens that she was probably about as withdrawn into her shield as was physically possible. He was surprised she'd even spoken to him.

He kept a hand on her shoulder as they continued through the tunnel. The climb grew quite steep at times, and even included steps now and again - ancient steps carved into the stone and worn in the middle from countless feet throughout the ages. As they climbed, he could feel her muscles become more and more tense. That was not good...at all.

"Relax, Bella," he whispered in her ear. "Nothing bad is going to happen to us now. Carlisle is here."

He could feel Carlisle's concern for his daughter increase with Jasper's words.

The tunnel had been lit by nothing more than candles, which the vampires behind them blew out as they passed. They offered just enough light for their eyes to find safe footing in the pitch-black tunnel, but no more and no less than was absolutely needed. He noticed, though, that the background lighting was growing stronger in the tunnel. The walls had turned from carved bedrock to worked stone, and he knew they were nearing their destination. The growing anticipation in the rest of the group didn't hurt.

Sure enough, they soon came to an ancient wooden door which was banded with metal. Carlisle gave it a push and it opened with ease, letting them out into a large hallway lit with ancient-looking electric lights set high up on the walls.

Carlisle turned to face the group. "That will be all, gentlemen," he said. "Your services are not needed any longer."

Without a word, the three turned to leave, and to Jasper's amusement, Bella lifted her head from where she'd hidden it in his chest and proceeded to stick her tongue out at Ranger Rick and his friends. Jasper felt Carlisle's amusement surge, but the three stooges studiously ignored her action.

As soon as they'd disappeared around a corner, Carlisle turned back to look at Jasper and Bella. Jasper didn't need to be an empath to know he was waiting for something. Jasper nudged Bella, causing her to look up at him. He inclined his head towards Carlisle and gave her a light push with his hand from where he was holding on to her waist.

Bella turned to look at Carlisle, whose golden eyes softened when they met hers. He took a hesitant step toward her, which was matched with one by Bella. Then she took another step, and then another. She refused to let go of Jasper's hand, and so he moved with her. A moment later she was in Carlisle's embrace, her face buried in his neck. She clung to him tightly, finally releasing Jasper's hand, and Carlisle returned her embrace. Jasper kept one hand lightly on her back in a reassuring touch, though he wasn't sure she needed it right now.

"Oh, Bella," Carlisle whispered. "I'm so glad you're alright. I've been so worried. We've all been worried..."

"Is everyone...?" she whispered, her voice sounding shaky.

Carlisle looked over her shoulder at Jasper. "Yes. We're all here."

Jasper sighed. He'd hoped this scene wouldn't play out until later. Much later. No matter how much he'd told Bella about what had happened, he knew she had never quite believed him. He knew she'd always thought that it would end – that THEY would end – once her sister was back in the picture. He also knew that she'd always assumed it would never come to that because she would be dead in Volterra by then.

But maybe...maybe this was a GOOD thing. Maybe if she finally saw for herself that Jasper was free to feel this way about her, she would finally admit to her own feelings, with more than a silent whisper. And then Jasper could save her from her destructive plan. If Bella had something to live for...

Yes, this was going to be a good thing. He would see to it.

Carlisle interrupted his train of thought.

"Would you like to see them now?" he asked his daughter. She gave him a little nod. "Alright. Come. They're upstairs waiting for us." He led them down the hall to a wide staircase in the opposite direction from the three musketeers. He kept his arm around Bella's shoulder, and Jasper was once again holding her hand.

"I don't understand, Carlisle," Jasper said. "Did YOU send those goons after us? Is this castle another Cullen property?"

Carlisle laughed. "No, this is not my castle...and those are not my goons. We are merely visiting. Alice saw you coming through here. You probably would have passed through undetected otherwise, but we needed to intercept you, she said. So we came and imposed upon Stefan and Vladimir's hospitality. THEY sent the goons out for you. I didn't anticipate so much...strife." He looked down at Bella and smiled.

"Yeah, well, Bella's all about strife nowadays," Jasper said. "If it doesn't find her, she feels the need to create it." Bella squeezed his hand, hard. "Ouch!" he yelled, and then turned to Carlisle. "See what I mean?"

Carlisle merely smiled and held Bella closer.

When they reached the top of the stairs, Carlisle headed for the first door on the right but he stopped before opening it. "This leads to the suite given to our family," he said quietly. "We will all be staying in it during our time here. The Romanians can be rather...odd...about such things. I'm sorry if this doesn't suit you, but under the circumstances... You can each have your own room within it, but we must share the common area..."

Bella looked at Jasper. "We don't need separate rooms," Jasper said softly, not breaking eye contact with her, and she smiled at him with relief. "And there is no reason why we would not want to be with the family. But...are we going to meet the Romanians?"

"Of course. They are quite insistent on that. I just thought you'd like to get cleaned up a bit first."

"Absolutely. Ready, Isabella?" Jasper asked, tilting his head towards the door. She nodded. Carlisle dropped his arm and Jasper dragged her to his side once again, holding tight to her. It was more for her sake than his - so she would know where his loyalties lay. He didn't care if it WAS their family behind that door. She was his first priority.

Carlisle nodded and reached out to open the door. He entered first, allowing them both to take a deep, unnecessary breath before following him in.

The family stood waiting for them on the other side. Carlisle flitted over to Esme's side and held her tight, much as Jasper currently held on to Bella. Rosalie and Emmett stood side by side, not touching, but clearly together. And Alice...

Poor Alice stood by herself. Alone. Jasper sensed no loneliness coming from her, though; only joy at seeing them both safe and sound...and even greater joy as she saw how they stood. Together. Jasper was holding Bella, clearly letting his entire family know how things now stood between them, even if Bella had not acknowledged or even accepted it yet.

Bella looked at them all, but her silent gaze flitted across their forms. She refused to make eye contact at first. When nobody moved, Jasper felt her relax a bit. She raised her eyes and looked at them again. First Rosalie and Emmett. Emmett grinned at her and she grinned hesitantly back. Alice she was less sure about, but Alice grinned so wide at her that Jasper wouldn't have been surprised if Bella had felt threatened at the amount of teeth the tiny vampire was showing. Then she looked at Carlisle and Esme. Esme's eyes glistened with unshed tears, and Bella tensed for a moment, but then she flew from Jasper and into her parents' arms.

That action alone was more than enough to surprise Jasper. But her shield came down, too, and flooded the room with two years' worth of pent up emotions. It was almost deadly.

* * *

It took over an hour for Jasper to recover enough to be even slightly coherent. He couldn't ever remember any instance of a vampire being knocked unconscious; but that, apparently, was what had happened to him when Bella's shield came down.

When he came to, he was lying on a couch with his anxious family huddled around him. Bella sat on the floor next to him, alternating between wringing her hands and stroking his head. She was still fully dressed in her Siberian garb, having only removed her gloves.

"What the hell happened?" he asked groggily.

"Evidently the emotions Bella had been hiding behind her shield all this time were enough to knock you out, Jasper, due to your own power," Carlisle explained to him.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Bella sobbed. "It was my fault. I did this to you. I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." Guilt rolled off her in waves, and Jasper put a hand to his head and rubbed his temple.

"Jesus, Bella, cut it out. This wasn't your fault," he told her. That just made the guilt stronger.

"STOP," he told her, trying not to sound too harsh.

Her shield did not come back up, but she managed to reign in the guilt a bit.

"I don't care WHAT happened to me," he said, turning on his side to look her full in the face. He reached a hand out to stroke her cheek. "I don't care if I was out for a week, not if it meant that that damn shield of yours came down."

She gave him a smile.

"That's my girl," he whispered, leaning in to kiss her and not caring who was standing around watching. He felt the guilt go away, leaving nothing but contentedness and...yes, Jasper thought triumphantly. Love.

"So," he whispered, trying to sound playful but really wanting to know, "I'm not enough for you to lower your shield, but Esme is?"

Bella looked down, and if she'd still been human Jasper thought she might be blushing. "It wasn't Esme. It was EVERYBODY." She looked up at him and he felt her trying to reassure him. He smiled at her.

"I know, babe. I know. You're home now. You're safe. It's okay now."

"Exactly," she whispered.

"Hey," Jasper said, looking around at the rest of his family. "Aren't we supposed to be meeting Dracula, or something?"

Emmett laughed. "Absolutely," he boomed. "And Jasper, man, I'm here to tell you that these guys are creeptacular!"

Jasper laughed. "Great. I can't wait. Any chance of there being some clean clothes for us?" he asked, looking at Alice.

"Absolutely," she said, smiling at them both. "Not that what you're wearing isn't fabulous. Especially the boots."

"Hey," Bella said, truly looking at her sister for the first time, a grin playing around her mouth. "Don't be dissing the boots. I LIKE the boots."

"Oh, they're great. No doubt about it. But not what you should wear to meet royalty."

"Royalty?" Bella asked, looking back at Jasper. "I thought the Volturi were the vampire royalty."

"Oh, they are," Alice assured her airily. "This is like, you know, the court in exile."

"Great. Vampire intrigue. Just what I need," Bella muttered.

"But Bella," Alice said, looking puzzled, "you're in the MIDDLE of vampire intrigue. What do you think the last two years of your life have been about?"

Bella looked at her and Jasper knew she had no idea what Alice was talking about. Hell, Jasper didn't even know what Alice was talking about, although he had his suspicions.

"Let us get cleaned up first," he said. "Are we on any kind of timeline here?" Out of habit he calculated how much time they had until the next full moon. Fourteen days, more or less. Plenty of time to do a little visiting before they headed off to Italy. Hell, maybe they could just drive from here, instead of running and swimming. Or better yet, never go to Italy at all, get on a plane, and fly home.

"Mstislav will probably be knocking on the door by morning," Bella mumbled.

"Mstislav?" Emmett asked.

"Our new friend," Bella said sourly, standing up and pulling Jasper up next to her. "It's a long story."

"We've got lots of time," Emmett said.

"And lots of questions," Rosalie said, speaking for the first time.

"We don't," Bella said bluntly, clearly thinking along the same lines Jasper had been. "Time, that is. Questions I've got plenty of, like...I've got some questions about a certain book of yours that Jasper has been telling me about..." Emmett grinned at her. "A book that I'm apparently already in? That I knew nothing about?" Emmett grinned wider.

"Anything you wanna put in it now, Bells?" Emmett asked her.

Jasper knew Emmett was just trying to put her at ease, grasping onto anything that allowed her to return to being a part of their family.

"Well...Jasper killed six werewolves. That's gotta be some sort of a record."

"Oh, absolutely," Emmett agreed. "It might be a whole new category, in fact."

"Great. And..." she thought for a moment, "well, we did spend two months in a hot spring, but Jasper said you and Rosalie had that beat."

"Oh, yeah, by several months."

"But WE didn't leave the water to eat." She glanced at Jasper, willing him to not argue with her. He just grinned at her. No way would he mention The Great Moose Fling to ANYONE, let alone to Emmett. He risked a glance at Alice, though, who winked at him. So...she HAD seen that one. Clearly, though, she hadn't shared it with anyone.

"Neither did WE," Rosalie retorted, deciding to get involved. "We'd wait until they came to drink, and then we'd pull them into the water."

"Oh. That's what we did, too," Bella said, disappointed. "Well, we ate dogs – or at least I did. Anything in there about eating dogs?"

"Okay, that is just disgusting," Emmett said. "I've never eaten a dog."

"YES!" Bella shouted, pumping her fist in the air. "Put me down for six dogs."

Nobody seemed inclined to dispute the entry with her.

"I hate to interrupt you," Carlisle said. "But we're expected in the Grand Hall at midnight – that gives us approximately one hour to get ready."

"Grand Hall? Midnight? A little dramatic, aren't they?" Jasper asked.

"Vladimir enjoys a little pomp, and they rarely have visitors. They keep 'traditional' vampire hours here – active at night, retiring during the day."

"Well, we'd better hurry up and get cleaned up then. Alright, Bella?"

"Okay. Where's my bath?" she asked, looking around.

"Um, yeah, about that..." Carlisle trailed off, and Bella's face fell.

"There's no bath?"

"No, no," Alice interjected. "Don't worry. There is a bath. It's just that the castle has never really been updated, not lately at least. They don't get too many visitors, you understand, and when you've been around as long as they have, well, modern conveniences don't catch on quickly."

"What they're trying to say," Esme interjected kindly, "is that there is only one bath for us to share. And the hot water is rather limited in supply."

"That's fine," Jasper said. "We don't mind sharing. Come on, Bella."

Esme showed them the bathroom. There was a large claw-footed tub inside, underneath which a copper water heater - lit by a small fire - was warming the water within.

"Impressive," Bella muttered.

"Picky, picky, picky," Jasper told her.

"Jasper, have you seen my hair?" she asked, tapping her hat that she'd refused to remove. "It's got BLOOD in it."

"You ARE a messy eater, Bella."

There was a knock on the door. "Come in," Jasper said, not taking his eyes off Bella. He already knew who was on the other side – as did she, he reminded himself. Bella was a vampire, not a human anymore.

Alice entered with a pile of towels and clothing. She set some of the clothes on the counter and placed the towels on a stool next to the bath. She hung a dress up on the back of the door. "I hope you like it, Bella. Esme picked it out for you. Carlisle wants us to look nice. There are soaps and things in the basket," she said. "Probably nicer than what you've had access to lately," she added with a smile before slipping out again.

"Come on, Bella," Jasper said, and he started to remove her layers of clothing. "Let me help you. We'll rinse first to get the worst off, and then we'll soak a bit together. Sound good to you?"

Bella nodded. "It sounds heavenly." She glanced apprehensively at the door. "But...they can all hear us, can't they?"

"Yes, Bella," he told her gently. "It's part of living with the family. No secrets. You remember that, don't you?"

"Yes," she whispered, and Jasper felt pain ripple through her. It was gone as quickly as it had come, though, and Jasper was content with that.


	32. Chapter 32

THANK YOU To everybody that voted at the 2nd Annual Everything's Bigger in Texas contest at the Jasper's Darlin's blog! "Running" won in three categories: "Most Creative Way to Get Rid of Alice/Edward", "Best Sex That Never Was", and "Best Use of Scars in a Fic". The second one means the most to me, considering, well...you all know considering what! Thank you for voting for my story, and thank you for voting PERIOD. It means a lot to all the writers. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!

SM may own these babies, but SHE doesn't have a kick-ass awesome award for lemon fail!

Chapter 32

Emmett had been right about the Romanians, Jasper reflected later that night – or morning. Not that he should be so surprised about it. Jasper had never met any of the elders - or ancients - of the vampire world. He was a New World vampire, and as such he had never accidentally run into them in his wanderings. The Volturi had involved themselves in the Southern Wars while Jasper was with Maria, but they'd always managed to avoid the Guard. The Romanians, though, were older than even Aro and his brothers, Caius and Marcus.

And to say that they were 'creeptacular' was putting it mildly. Jasper knew his collection of scars made other vampires instinctively fear him. Stefan and Vladimir had no such scars that he could see, but everything in him screamed 'Run. Run now. Run far. Do not engage.' And if these two, and their brothers, had been defeated by the Volturi, he couldn't WAIT to meet THEM.

They sat on chairs on a dais, raised above everyone else in the room, and Jasper didn't need his gift to tell him that they thought highly of themselves. One of them was dark haired, and the other one had light, almost grey hair. They were both slightly built - smaller than anyone else in the room except for Alice and perhaps Bella. Their skin had a powdery look to it, but their eyes were clear and deep red. And they exuded an aura of power.

Upon seeing them, Bella's fear increased exponentially. With one part of his mind, Jasper wondered just how she intended to extract any revenge at all on the Volturi if she freaked out every time she saw another vampire. Of course, she hadn't been too afraid of Ranger Rick and his two buddies – they'd just pissed her off. Maybe it was the age of the two sitting on the dais in front of them; maybe they reminded her of Aro and company. Maybe she was reacting to the same signals he was.

Whatever it was, her fear caused him to pull her behind him and start growling at no one in particular.

"Relax, Empath," Vladimir said, his words sounding almost like the hissing of a snake. His English was heavily accented and ancient sounding. "No one here will harm your mate."

"Jasper," Carlisle said softly when the Romanian's words showed no signs of changing anything. "Please stop that. Bella? Please, daughter, relax. You're upsetting Jasper. You're safe here. We are all here. Nothing is going to happen to you. Not here, not now."

Behind him, Bella slowly let go of some of her fear until it returned to the level it had been before they'd entered the room. It was ever present - underlying everything she did - but not enough to trigger an uncontrolled response in Jasper. As soon as it dropped, Jasper released his grip on her and stopped growling. He refused to apologize, though.

"See, was that so difficult, children?" Vladimir asked.

Stefan stood and came down the steps towards them, almost sending Bella over the edge again. She stiffened behind him, but this time Jasper was ready and he sent out calming vibes at her instead of allowing her emotions to send him over the edge again. She couldn't be feeling too endangered, though, because her shield was still down, and she relaxed and accepted the calm he was sending her. He glared at Stefan, hoping he wasn't making a mistake by trusting the man – no matter how shallow that trust ran.

Stefan advanced on them slowly and deliberately. Jasper's glance flickered to Carlisle to see what he thought of it all. Carlisle was feeling calm and not at all bothered by the ancient's behavior, and so Jasper relaxed further.

"So, Carlisle," Stefan said, stopping in front of Jasper. "These are your two missing...children?"

"Yes," Carlisle said pleasantly.

"And both talented, yes? Both VERY talented from what we've heard... It is quite a powerful coven you've built for yourself. Very powerful indeed – even with the loss of the mind reader. It is no wonder you've brought the wrath of the Volturi upon yourself." He glanced at his brother who was still seated above them on the dais, watching the interactions with detached interest. "You should have consulted us first. We would have advised you on the danger of doing such a thing."

"I was not building a coven with the intent of challenging the Volturi," Carlisle said, his voice not changing. "This is my family."

"But challenge them you have, whether you intended it or not. And now your 'family' is paying the price, is it not?" Stefan nodded to himself. He stepped closer to Jasper, looking him up and down. "An Empath – useful, indeed. Not one of yours, though, is he, Carlisle? He came to you with the fortune teller, if my memory serves. Yes... He was created during your Southern Wars." Stefan nodded again. "Created to fight – look at the scars on him. And empathic - capable of sensing AND controlling emotion. VERY useful in battle. Your sire lucked out when she found you and turned you, didn't she?" he asked Jasper. "But she didn't keep you, much to her chagrin. You made her very angry, boy."

Jasper stiffened at his words, but didn't respond.

"I know MUCH, boy," Stefan hissed, leaning in to Jasper. "We watch, my brother and I. We watch and wait." He was beside Bella in an instant, and Jasper spun around to come between them, growling again.

"Jasper," Carlisle said cautiously, and Jasper forced himself to relax again.

Stefan ignored both him and Carlisle. "But you, child, YOU are from Carlisle - through his son, Edward, now burned to ash." Bella whimpered and Jasper tightened his grip on her. "Yes...a talented little thing, aren't you? And more powerful now than anyone could have anticipated. And angry. So, so angry. Someone will be in for a surprise, I am thinking. A rather unpleasant surprise, at that. Carlisle!" Stefan said loudly, turning to the blond vampire. "You have done well for yourself. Very well indeed. We never should have doubted you, even considering your odd habits."

"Perhaps," said Vladimir from the dais, speaking for the first time since Stefan had left his side, "it is BECAUSE of those odd habits."

Stefan nodded thoughtfully. "Perhaps. Perhaps. Well, I, for one, am certainly not willing to change my diet at this late date, not even in the hope of rebuilding our empire, brother. So..." he turned back to Jasper, "you intend to travel on to Italy, is that correct?" he asked him.

Jasper glanced at Carlisle, wondering how much his 'father' had told the brothers. Carlisle gave a small shake of his head.

"That is our intention," Bella answered from behind him before he had a chance to say anything.

"She speaks!" Stefan said, delighted. "Wonderful! Well, before you continue your journey, feel free to stay with us for a while. Re-bond with your coven and let us get to know you better..."

"Let them convince you to join them in their lost cause," muttered Ranger Rick.

"Richard!" Stefan reprimanded. "We have no intention of pressuring them into that."

Richard snorted, but said nothing more. Jasper looked between them, and then at Carlisle. He was a bit confused now.

Silence descended upon the group, and Jasper didn't need his empathic gift to tell it was not a comfortable silence.

"Well," Carlisle finally spoke. "If you'll excuse us, we'll retire now and begin some of that re-bonding you spoke of."

"Of course! Feel free to hunt in the forests, as well. Just wait until tonight, though, if you would – we do have a reputation to uphold."

Carlisle bowed his head in acknowledgment, and then gestured for his family to precede him through the doors. They left silently, and continued the silence until they were back in their suite.

* * *

"What the HELL?" Jasper asked as soon as the doors were shut. "What did Ranger Rick mean by 'join them in their lost cause'? Are they seriously going up against the Volturi AGAIN?"

Carlisle held his hand up to Jasper. "I think...I think it is never far from their minds. I don't know that he meant anything by the remark, Jasper – you would know that better than I."

Jasper thought for a moment. "Well, I didn't feel much of anything from him, or the rest of them, at that remark."

Carlisle nodded. "I think, like I said, that it is never far from their minds. They would never turn down a chance to get back at their brothers if it were presented to them. And it wouldn't surprise me if they feel like our arrival has handed it to them on a silver platter."

"Their brothers?" Emmett asked. "Are they REALLY brothers? To the Volturi?"

Carlisle nodded slowly. "I believe so. It is accepted as such - though it is never spoken of anymore. Even when I was with them, it was only whispered about."

Jasper looked at Carlisle suspiciously. "Is that why you're here...?"

Carlisle looked him in the eye. "No," he said firmly. "We came because of Alice's vision. I told you that."

Jasper didn't know whether or not to believe him. He couldn't tell by what Carlisle was feeling either.

"So..." he said, deciding to change the subject. "About this bonding..." He glanced down at Bella. She stood by his side, seemingly relaxed now that they were away from the other vampires.

"Tonight," Carlisle said. "Alice has seen us hunting tonight. They stay in during the day here, cloudy or not. But the night belongs to them. As I've said before, they keep the traditional hours of our kind, here in Romania." He gestured at the couches, indicating that he wanted them to be seated.

"Now that we've got the 'niceties' taken care of with our hosts," Carlisle began, after they'd all taken their seats. He looked at his assembled family who were all watching him attentively, and continued, "I think it's time we discussed our own situation now that we are all back together." His glance fell upon Jasper and Bella who were sitting close together on the couch, Jasper's arm around Bella's shoulders. "Because we ARE back together." It was a statement; not a question. Jasper didn't dispute it. And to his surprise, Bella didn't either. In fact, he felt a wave of relief roll off her. _Relief at what_, he wondered. Relief to be back with her family? Relief at being told what to do? Would she now listen to her father figure rather than her lover? He hadn't considered that possibility in all his worrying about her situation. She had been young when she was changed - still dependent on her father in her human life. Hell, most of them had. It was one of the reasons why Carlisle's 'family' worked so well.

When they didn't speak up to argue, Carlisle gave a sharp nod and said, "Right, then. Jasper, I'd like to go over with you what we know so far about our situation - what's happened on our end, and on your and Bella's end, especially since we last spoke. Just to make sure neither of us has left anything out. It'll be a lot easier now that we're face-to-face instead of on a phone on opposite sides of the globe. And as nice as this reunion is, we need to remember we don't have much time..." He glanced at Alice, who shrugged.

"Much time before what?" Bella asked.

"The Volturi came to Alaska to find us," Carlisle told them quietly. Jasper tightened his grip on Bella, who had tensed up at Carlisle's words. "We had already left - thanks to Alice's visions - but we have to assume they will track us to wherever we are - thanks to Demetri. We certainly cannot stay here for any length of time. So far, though, Alice has not seen them coming after us here." Alice nodded again.

"So...you're on the run?" Bella asked quietly. Jasper saw Rosalie stiffen out of the corner of his eye and he turned to look at her. She was glaring at him, and he narrowed his eyes, surprised by the intensity of her anger at him. At Bella. He'd have to address this - call her out on it - and soon. Just not in front of Bella...

"WE are on the run. They are looking for you, too, Bella. They recently became aware that you were no longer in their clutches," Carlisle informed her, drawing Jasper's attention back away from his staring match with Rosalie. If Carlisle had noticed it, he pretended not to have. "They do not, however, appear to be aware that you are with Jasper, and they certainly are not aware that you are back with us. They were hoping to eliminate us before you were able to rejoin us."

Jasper snorted. "I thought Aro was your friend, Carlisle. Some friend." Jasper felt Carlisle's sorrow increase, although none of it was reflected in his face or his words.

"Yes, well, be that as it may, apparently other factors have outweighed that friendship."

"Jealousy," Esme said quietly.

"Possibly," Carlisle nodded. "Or fear. Or, more likely, his hunger for power. I am certainly viewed as a threat now - and by extension, so are the rest of you. I honestly don't know. It is hard to read the purposes behind the actions solely based on Alice's vision. I suppose when we finally meet face-to-face, we'll discover the answer to that."

"Are you planning on confronting him?" Jasper asked, surprised. He couldn't imagine Carlisle doing such a thing, especially when his family was already in danger.

Rosalie sneered. "Well, you and Bella could always ask FOR him when you get there, since you're going to Volterra anyway. And maybe you'd have time to text us the answer before they destroyed you."

"Rose!" Esme snapped, rounding on the blond vampire.

"That is enough, Rose," Carlisle said sharply. Rosalie's mouth thinned out, her anger still there, but she said nothing else.

Jasper felt the emotions swirl around them in the room. Emmett was embarrassed and apologetic - and it was written all over his face by the look he shot Jasper. Rose was angry, as were Esme and Alice. Carlisle was angry, too, but he was frustrated. All of them were scared, though. What was directed at him and/or Bella versus what was directed at the Volturi was difficult to determine. Unfortunately, his gift - like Alice's - did not always give him all the information he needed to form an opinion.

"Normally, no, I would not confront him," Carlisle said with a sigh, turning back to Jasper. "But the choice between confronting them and spending eternity running from them is no choice at all, Jasper."

Jasper nodded. Towards the end of his and Bella's journey, he'd already come to the conclusion that he was willing to follow her to Italy, if she insisted on going. And he would do his best to cripple the Volturi himself, with or without the werewolves - but hopefully with the help of Bella's shield. All in an effort to turn their attention away from the Cullens. He contemplated leaving now - before Demetri's attention turned towards Romania - in an effort to still do that. Perhaps, though, it would be better to first talk things out with Carlisle. Maybe the older vampire had information, or ideas, that Jasper had not considered.

But if the Volturi were already close on the heels of his family, there was no question what he would choose. There was no doubt it would be better to stick together.

"Of course. I agree with you on that, Carlisle. You said they came for you in Alaska...?"

Carlisle nodded and proceeded to fill Jasper and Bella in on everything that had happened to them since the phone calls in Yakutsk. When he got to the part about their brief stay-over in England, Bella looked at Alice.

"Sheep?" she mouthed silently.

Alice rolled her eyes and stuck her finger in her mouth, making silent gagging noises. Bella laughed noiselessly. Jasper caught the exchange, as did Esme and Carlisle, and they shared a brief smile. It looked like things would be alright between the two girls. At least...there was no apparent hostility. Jasper knew very well that it could have been very ugly had Alice decided to feel territorial about something she had no reason to feel territorial about. He hoped to perhaps get a chance to talk to her alone, though, and soon - in order to get some sort of closure on that part of his life.

"Once we were in England," Carlisle finished up, "we were only there for two days before Alice saw a vision of you two passing close to here. She also saw the Volturi following us to England, so we made the decision to intercept you. There is strength in numbers, and I feel it would be best if we stayed together now."

His words echoed Jasper's earlier thoughts. "There is." He thought for a moment about how to tell Carlisle and the others about his conversations with Mstislav. Beside him on the couch, though, he felt Bella beginning to get restless - whether it was because of the topic of the conversation, or something else, he wasn't sure.

She put her hand on his back and started rubbing it in circles. Desire seemed to flow from her hand into him, and he knew for certain it wasn't the topic that had her restless. Alright, then. Maybe later would definitely be a better time to finish the conversation.

He cleared his throat unnecessarily and said, "Well, I think maybe I'll leave our story for later today...if that's alright with you, Carlisle?"

Carlisle looked startled, but then his glance fell on Bella and he smiled. "Oh. Of course. That would be...fine. Absolutely fine. I'm sure we have time...Alice?" He glanced at the little vampire.

Alice nodded. "We have time. Later today is fine... Maybe Bella and I can hunt, or something, while you boys discuss strategy..."

Beside him, Bella stiffened and stopped moving her hand. _Oh, Jesus, Alice. Good going. Get her __started on THAT subject, why don't you? _Jasper thought with an audible groan.

"Or not," Alice hastily added.

"We'll figure something out," Carlisle agreed pleasantly. "Later."

"Alright..." Jasper said, nodding. "Well, then," he glanced at the family, uncomfortable for a moment, "I guess we'll...retire." A pang of sadness shot through him, and he caught Alice's eyes. She smiled, but it was a sad smile – and one that he returned.

"I think I'll, um, maybe go for a walk or something," she said softly.

"Not alone," Carlisle said sharply.

"I'll take Richard with me," she said, smiling brighter now. "He seems a little uptight about what we're eating in his forests – maybe he'll feel better if he can be part of it. Then I can share that no-doubt-fascinating information with the rest of you tonight."

They watched her slip through the door. Jasper felt guilt rolling off of Bella, but for the moment he didn't care. He was more concerned with the aggravation and annoyance coming from Rosalie, who refused to look at him or Bella now, although she had been friendly enough earlier.

He glared at his blond sister, and then turned to Carlisle. "Goodnight, or good morning, or whatever you want to call it, Carlisle," he said, and grabbed Bella's hand and headed for the stairs that led to the second floor of their suite.

"Third door on the right!" Emmett hollered after them, and Jasper raised his hand and waved in acknowledgment.

***

"So..." Bella said, pacing around their room nervously. She had already made three rapid tours of the chamber, stopping to investigate everything from the tattered velvet curtains hanging from the canopy bed to the small fire burning in the fireplace. She'd bounced several times on the dubious mattress; opened and closed the shutters on the window, fiddling with the locks on them until she was satisfied they worked; and literally climbed one of the walls to briefly perch on a rock outcropping near the ceiling.

"Jesus, Bella, will you settle down!" Jasper finally snapped from where he sat in a chair near the small fire. He reached out and grabbed her as she flitted by him for the umpteenth time. When she didn't resist, he pulled her into his lap.

"I think I'm claustrophobic," she whispered.

"I think you're fucking crazy," he murmured into her hair. "But I love you anyways. And I want you." He nuzzled his nose into her neck for a moment before moving her shirt aside and nipping at her shoulder.

She froze at his words, and Jasper realized what he'd said. It had slipped out - so easily...so naturally. What if she didn't want him to love her? What if she only wanted him for a lover, but nothing more? He couldn't tell, even now with her shield down. He couldn't tell for sure what she truly felt for him because he was too afraid to look too closely. But she'd said the words herself – or mouthed them, silently, but still – just days before.

"Mmmhmmm..." she whispered, finally relaxing against him after a moment. "What about..." She tensed again. "What about your...our...family? They can hear us... Feel us..."

He decided to follow her lead. She wasn't ignoring what he'd said – she'd acknowledged it both with her murmur and her feelings. She was at least accepting the fact that he loved her...and that he'd said it out loud. He wasn't going to push the matter. He'd tell her again, and again, and again... But for now...for now, he'd settle for showing her.

"I think," he began, moving his hands up and under her shirt to gently squeeze her breasts before sliding them back down her ribs. Grabbing the hem of her shirt, he quickly pulled it over her head and dropped it to the floor beside them. "I think...I think it's time to remind them what it's like to have me home."

Bella giggled, letting his feelings – mostly of lust right now - slide over her and envelop her, and letting them overcome any feelings of embarrassment or shyness she had knowing her whole family could hear them. As his hands moved back up her torso, she sent him her own feelings of lust, intensifying his own.

"You know," he whispered, "having your shield down all the way makes a huge difference. I didn't realize how much of yourself you'd been hiding, even when we made love." He squeezed her breasts together, and then lowered his head to them, first taking one, and then the other nipple in his mouth and sucking gently on each one. She cried out in response and arched her back.

She vaguely heard Emmett shouting, "Alright! Game ON, Rosy baby!" from down the hall, followed by the crash of a slamming door.

"Emmett and Rose..." Jasper murmured against her breast when she tensed a little bit. "Ignore them." He tugged harder on her nipple, causing her to forget about the other couple completely. She arched her back again, and this time he dropped one if his hands down her stomach to rest between her legs.

"So wet," he murmured again. "So wet for me, baby. Always so wet."

"Mmmhmmm..." she gasped as his fingers began to move slowly - teasingly - up and down her slick folds, coming close to her clit but never quite close enough to make her happy. She started moving her hips, slowly at first but then a little more frantically, trying to anticipate where his finger would be. Trying to intercept them. Her one leg was draped over the arm of the chair; the other off to the side and hanging loosely across his. She was spread out for his pleasure AND for his pleasuring. If his other arm hadn't been supporting her around her back, she would have long since slid to the floor.

He chuckled at her, moving his fingers faster and teasing her even more. He was still moving his head between her breasts, sucking and tugging on each nipple. It wasn't long before she was almost keening, the lust from earlier now a haze of sexual frustration.

"Please, please, please," she started gasping and chanting. From both down the hall and downstairs, her words were echoed back at them - but Jasper didn't think she noticed.

Finally, he decided he'd tortured them all long enough. Sliding two fingers inside the warm wetness she offered him, he curved them quickly forward, almost immediately finding the spot he was looking for. At the same, he squeezed her clit between his thumb and little finger, and gave one last pull at her nipple, gently biting down on it after a second.

She arched off of him and unleashed a wail that was echoed off the walls before collapsing back in his lap, panting. Elsewhere in the suite came the sounds of crashing bodies and breaking furniture. He relaxed back into his chair and gathered her close to his chest. After a few moments, she seemed to regain her senses.

"I think," she murmured, turning her head into his chest and running her tongue along one of his scars, "that I have been very selfish." She ran her flattened tongue across his nipple, causing him to tighten his grip on her.

"Not at all..." Jasper said, feeling the wave of lust building again. "I was just very giving."

"Well, I think it's MY turn to be very giving," she said, squirming out of his grasp and dropping to her knees between his legs.

"Oh, I think I can handle that," Jasper said.

* * *

A/N: In case you were wondering, that last lemon was written while sitting in my living room,surrounded by family, watching TV, while I discussed what we would be serving for Easter Dinner with my mother-in-law (never mind why we were having Easter Dinner at all). Admittedly I don't remember much of the discussion, although apparently we decided on ham (Gee, that must have been a tough call...). I'm just saying, everything gets easier with time and practice... :)


	33. Chapter 33

A/N: SM owns the characters.

Chapter 33

"Wakey wakey, children!" Emmett's voice rang out, accompanied by the pounding of his fists on their door.

Jasper groaned. "Go away!" he hollered. Bella giggled under the blankets. It was an incredibly fascinating sensation, considering her lips were wrapped around his cock. He groaned even louder and slid further under the blankets. That caused Bella to adjust her position, though, into one that was considerably less pleasing to the both of them. "Goddammit," he hissed, and Bella growled in agreement.

"Nope! Time to go 'bond', brother of mine!"

"I AM bonding!" Jasper yelled. Or he HAD been bonding. Somehow the blankets were now tangled, and Bella was struggling with them; she had evidently gotten lost. Jesus, how could a vampire get lost in the dark, under the blankets, in a goddamned bed? Especially when she'd been fucking attached to him just a minute ago. This was all Emmett's fucking fault. It didn't matter that he'd already gotten three blow-jobs. There was no reason - in Jasper's book - to stop before he'd gotten a nice even four. Or maybe even five. Bella had been feeling VERY generous, and who was he to argue? And then Emmett could put THAT in HIS stupid fucking book.

"Oh, we KNOW you're bonding!" Emmett replied. "But Carlisle says ten hours is more than enough. You're plenty bonded with each other and it's time to come out. The sun's been down for an hour now, and we're heading out to hunt."

To Jasper's disappointment, Bella stopped trying to locate him again. Instead she crawled her way up the bed, emerging from the bed covers to glare at the door. "Do we have to?" she whispered, turning to look at Jasper.

"YES!" came a chorus of 5 voices from various spots outside the room.

Jasper sighed. "Yes," he whispered. "Come on. Don't be scared."

"I'm not scared," she said.

Jasper decided to ignore the lie and instead got out of bed. Opening the wardrobe, he pulled out a pair of jeans from the clothes Alice had provided them with. Bella was still on the bed, half hidden under the covers. He tossed some underwear, a pair of jeans, and a long sleeved t-shirt at her. He knew she was hesitant about being around the family again. Their reunion the night before had gone well, but meeting the Romanians had unnerved her.

She slowly got dressed, and he crossed the room to hug her. Then he spun her around and began trying to braid the tangled mess of her hair. "They're going to want to hunt with you, Bella. The girls are. I'll be going with Emmett and Carlisle."

His words caused her to panic. "What? I can't...I don't want to..." she whispered frantically.

"Bella. Isabella. Stop it!" He finished the braid and tied it off, and then gripped her arms and turned her around to face him. "Calm down." He didn't want to leave her, but he knew she'd be more than safe with their mother and sisters. And he wanted to reacquaint himself with his brother and father. Hunting together was a good way to re-establish coven bonds. "You can do this!" He let her feel how eager he was to do it.

"Yes. I can do this," she said, a small smile forming. "It's just been so long. What if they don't like me?"

Jasper hesitated for a moment. He thought it was a foolish question, but he didn't want to belittle her concerns. She HAD been gone a long time from her point of view. She was feeling extremely insecure about her bond with the Cullens, and even more so about her place in the family. He knew she felt she had only been accepted in the first place because of Edward. And now that Edward was gone, so was her place. Not to mention her reluctance to be near Alice because of their relationship. "Bella," he finally said, speaking softly, trying to give her the illusion that they were having the whole conversation in private. "You are FAMILY. They are your family, too, just as much as mine. Go, hunt with your sisters. Do...whatever it is girls do when they get together. Suck some deer dry. Paint each other's toenails and shit."

"I don't know...I don't remember..."

He tipped her chin up so she was looking at him. "Let them help you remember." He felt her hesitate. "If you really don't want to do this, you don't have to. I'll stay right here with you. But I think you should go. They really want you to. They're waiting downstairs for you." He fell silent, watching and feeling her try to decide.

"Yes. Okay. Yes, I'm ready."

"That's my girl," he whispered, hugging her close. "Come on. It'll be fun." Before they opened the door, though, she stopped him again.

"Jasper, is this about marking territory?" she asked suspiciously. "Are you really going out to pee on trees with Emmett and Carlisle?"

Jasper chuckled. "No. We're in the Romanian's territory as their guests. There will be no peeing on trees by the Cullens in this part of the world. We'll keep a low profile, believe me. We don't want to be rocking the boat around here."

She looked like she didn't believe him, but after a second she gave a quick nod and opened the door.

They walked downstairs to find the rest of the family waiting for them. Jasper glanced around the room and saw that the two couches they'd been sitting on the night before were now pushed against the wall. The legs on one couch were completely broken off, and the back on the other one was no longer attached. He looked at Carlisle and smirked. Carlisle, however, refused to make eye contact, and Jasper wasn't getting much of an emotional read from him. Esme, on the other hand, was emitting heavy embarrassment.

On the other side of the room, Alice was almost dancing with excitement. Jasper smiled at her, and she grinned back at him. She was almost overwhelming in her happiness at having them both back with the family. Jasper had wondered how it would feel to see her again. A part of him had worried that perhaps Bella was right - perhaps Alice had been sitting at home in Alaska, nursing some hope of them...reforming...their bond that had been stolen from them. He supposed it would have made sense; they did know each other better than anyone else did. But seeing her again just confirmed what he'd known in his heart for quite a while - he had no more desire to form that sort of bond with her than he did with Esme or Rosalie.

Thinking about Rosalie, he turned to look at her briefly. She'd refused to make lingering eye contact with him or Bella since they'd arrived yesterday. She'd been glad they were back, fairly polite aside from her remark about the texting, and the feeling behind her welcome had been sincere. But she was upset about something, he could tell. His gaze narrowed a bit, briefly savoring the feeling coming from her now. Yes, she was definitely upset. At him, or Bella, or both – he couldn't tell for sure which. Well, he'd ask Carlisle about it once they were out of earshot.

"Ready, Bella?" Alice asked, reaching out and taking Bella's hand. "It will be good hunting tonight, with the moon up."

"It's not full, is it?" Bella asked, panic in her voice. She looked at Jasper.

He rolled his eyes. Her sense of time really had gone to hell. "No, not even close. Just starting to grow. But enough light for us."

Bella nodded, relaxing. "Yes. Let's...hunt."

"Have fun, ladies," Carlisle said, opening the door for them. "We'll be leaving shortly."

Bella followed Alice and Rose out the door. The three of them disappeared down the hall and down the steps. Esme paused, waiting for the three girls to disappear. "Is there anything I should know, Jasper?" she asked gently. "About Bella, I mean. Before I take her out with us."

Jasper thought for a moment. Jesus, where did he even begin? He was starting to think this was a really bad idea, after all. But he'd wanted so desperately for her to feel like she was part of her own family. "She...doesn't like being touched."

Esme looked puzzled. "I don't understand. She let us all hug her yesterday... She lets you..."

"I know. I'm not quite sure what, exactly, she means by it. All I know is she said she doesn't like being touched. She totally lost it in Kiev when the local vampire in residence took exception to our presence and tried to take it out on her. He ended up losing his head for his troubles."

Emmett and Esme were looking at him in shock. Again, Carlisle's face gave away little of what he was feeling, but the surprise he felt matched the other two.

"I'm sure he's fine now," Jasper hastened to add. "She wouldn't let me finish him off. We left him in an alley. I'm sure he's put himself back together by now."

"Right..." Esme said. "Um, anything else?"

"Well, she's a messy eater."

"I think I can handle that," Esme said. "I've raised two vampires. Emmett was a nightmare when he was younger." She smiled at her giant 'son'. "Well, I'll be careful. You don't think she'll take off while we're out, do you?"

Jasper shrugged. "I'd like to think not. She could just as easily walk out of here at any time. We're not trapping her. We're not keeping her against her will." He looked hard at his mother and father. "When she wants to leave, we'll leave. She knows this. She trusts me. I don't think she'll run."

"Alright, then. We'll see you in a few hours. Have fun!" She flitted off down the hall.

Jasper thought of something else. "She bites!" he hollered after her. Esme's laugh drifted back up the stairs to them.

"No, really," Jasper muttered to himself. "She bites."

Half of Jasper's mind was on Bella and what she was doing with the other women. He hoped it was going alright, but really, what could go wrong? Bella was more than capable of taking care of herself, and Carlisle had assured him that the mountainous area around the castle was more than adequate for their hunting needs.

The rest of his mind was firmly here, with his brother and father, hunting.

Hunting wolves, to be exact. The irony wasn't lost on Jasper.

"Richard told Alice there are two large packs that have entered the area," Carlisle told them as they flitted through the darkness of the forest. "They are vying for territory, so he wouldn't be averse to us...culling... their numbers. Oh, and if we kill any deer or other, smaller game, he asks that we leave the carcasses out for the wolves."

"What the hell?" Jasper asked, puzzled. "Does he want the wolves or not?"

"He's attempting to achieve some sort of balance in the population, and he doesn't want us to waste their food source," Carlisle explained. "He was doing graduate work in wildlife studies in this part of the mountains when Stefan found him and changed him. It brings him comfort to continue that aspect of his human life."

"Wait," Jasper said, coming to a stop. "Are you telling me Richard really IS some sort of park ranger?"

Carlisle and Emmett stopped and came back to him. "He was a student. But, yes, I suppose he was working towards that, or something similar."

Jasper started laughing. "So, he really IS Ranger Rick?" Jasper had thought it was funny when he'd found out the annoying vampire's name was actually Richard, but this new information was priceless. He couldn't wait to tell Bella.

Emmett caught on and started laughing. Even Carlisle started chuckling. "Yes, I suppose he is. I think the humor of the name is probably lost on him, though. Please try to remember we are their guests – don't bait him, Jasper."

"I don't get it - why would Stefan change him? Was it an accident?"

Carlisle shook his head. "No. Stefan and Vladimir had been alone for a long time, ever since the Volturi broke their power in this part of the world. Centuries. The world moved on around them while they sat in their crumbling castle. I don't know what woke them up, but something did. I suspect it was the representatives from the historical society when they came to inspect the castle after the fall of communism. They walked into the chamber where Stefan and Vladimir had been sitting for, well, who knows how long. I don't know who was more surprised."

Emmett laughed loudly. "I bet it was the humans – can you imagine finding out Dracula was real?"

"Yes, well, I suspect they didn't have much time to dwell on their discovery. However, the sudden infusion of blood woke the brothers up completely."

"Like Bella," Jasper said thoughtfully. "When she ate the hiker."

"Exactly. Once fully aware of their surroundings again, the brothers realized how much had changed. They quickly figured out they would have to change their...methods...of dealing with the world around them. Stefan's answer was to change Richard when they found him doing his research in the surrounding forests. Richard later selected Edmond and Marton for their particular talents, and encouraged Stefan to change them as well."

"Talents? Are they gifted?"

Carlisle shook his head. "Not in the way you're thinking. Edmond's area of expertise is finances. International finances. I believe he has added computer hacking to his skills in recent years. Marton is the one who does most of the interactions with the human world for the brothers – he was some sort of diplomat before they changed him."

"I don't get it – are they trying to make a play for power? Because they're going to need more than the three musketeers to go up against the Volturi if that is their plan."

"I don't really think they are planning anything like that. They were very powerful centuries ago. VERY powerful. Their defeat is still fresh in their minds, even though it happened long ago. But like most creatures, they do have the will to survive."

"All dudes..." Emmett said slowly, seemingly following his own train of thought. "Why no women? They're not...gay, are they?"

"Not to my knowledge," Carlisle said. "Stefan and Vladimir had mates long ago. Before the Volturi came. I don't know what happened to them, and I don't know why they have not chosen new ones. I don't know about the other three."

"I bet they wished they'd had some women around earlier today when Jasper and Bella let loose," Emmett said, slyly looking at Jasper. "Dude, did you see the way they were glaring at you when we passed them in the hall on our way out? And speaking of earlier today, man, could you maybe tone it down a bit next time?"

Jasper smirked. "I thought you and Rosalie LIKED it when that happened. You've always been appreciative in the past."

"Yeah, well, we were. And we are. But, you know, after about eight hours of it..."

"You should have escaped when there was that little break at about hour five. Esme and I did," Carlisle told him.

"We thought they were DONE," Emmett moaned. "Or we WOULD have. No way in HELL was I expecting ten hours. How are either of you even walking straight today?"

"We're vampires, Emmett," Jasper said. "I'm not sure what you're complaining about."

"Alright, how about those wolves...?" Carlisle asked, rubbing his hands together. It was obvious he was changing the subject, having no wish to further discuss the day's earlier events with either of his sons. Or listen to them discuss them either.

The hunting was more for bonding purposes than actual nutritional needs. They'd quickly found one of the packs, and each of them had taken one of the wolves, carefully selecting the weaker-looking members. Afterward they regrouped on a large rock outcropping where they'd started their hunt.

"Well, that oughta make Ranger Rick happy," Jasper said, reaching for his shirt where he'd left it hanging on a tree branch.

"No doubt," Emmett said cheerfully. "Too bad there aren't any bears around here."

"Plenty of bears in Siberia," Jasper said. "I swear they were everywhere on Kamchatka."

"Really?"

"Plenty of werewolves, too, so don't get excited."

"Yeah, but I bet we could sneak in and..."

"No," Jasper said flatly.

"Absolutely not," Carlisle added.

"Damn," Emmett sighed. "Hey, man, what the hell - are those your wolf scars?" He stepped closer to Jasper to look at him in the faint light of the moon.

Jasper dropped his arms, waiting to put his shirt on. This had to happen eventually. Better now where Esme wouldn't get all weepy about it. "Yep."

"Whew," Emmett whistled. "Take a look at these, Carlisle." Carlisle stepped in to look closer and Jasper sighed. He should have known Carlisle would be interested, too. Emmett's interest was of the morbid kind; Carlisle's was more detached and clinical.

"Hmmm..." he said, tracing the long tracks left by the claws with his finger. "So, their claws did damage as well as their teeth?"

"Yep."

"Are they sensitive?"

"Not as much as a vampire's bite would be. But, yes, sensitive enough."

"And they healed alright? After they were...cleaned?"

"They seemed to. But only with the help of additional venom. The deeper bites on Bella took longer to heal. You'd be in a world of hurt if you couldn't reach the wound yourself and didn't have anyone around to help you out."

"Bella's are worse?" Emmett asked, concerned.

"Much worse," Jasper said quietly. A flash of concern ran through him. He should have said something to Esme, at least. He should have warned her, in case something occurred that caused Bella's scars to show. She had continued to be worried about how their family would react to seeing her scarred body.

"Do you think she'd let me examine her?" Carlisle asked, deeply worried about his newest daughter.

Jasper shrugged. "Ask her. I think she probably will."

"Dude!" Emmett said suddenly, grabbing Jasper's shoulder and swinging him around. "THOSE aren't from a wolf – and they're new!" Emmett was closely examining Jasper's shoulders and the new scars there. "And that one – dude, that one is still leaking venom!"

"Yeah...that would be Bella's work," Jasper sighed, twitching his shoulder away before Emmett could touch it. That one was not only leaking venom, it was still sore. Dropping her shield entirely had let them take things to a whole new level earlier, and his shoulder had paid the price.

They looked at him blankly.

"I told you – she bites. It took her a while to...control it enough not to leave marks. And dropping her shield, well, it was sort of a setback in that area."

Emmett really started laughing at that. "Oh, my God. I am SO giving her shit about this!"

"Go right ahead," Jasper said, shrugging. "It's your hide. Just remember, though – she's not the Bella you remember. And," he tapped his shoulder meaningfully, "she bites. Hard."

"So, what's the big plan, brother?" Emmett asked Jasper, plopping down on the rock. He began to toss rocks into the forest below, and Jasper wondered briefly if Emmett was even remotely capable of maintaining the stillness most vampires found to be their natural state. Jasper finished putting his shirt back on and sat down next to him. Carlisle dropped down to sit on Jasper's other side.

"Plan?" Jasper asked, turning to look at Emmett.

"Yeah, plan. I assume you have some great plan up your sleeve to stop Bella on her path to self-immolation?" Emmett stopped tossing rocks and looked expectantly at him, and then groaned. "You don't have a plan? Are you kidding me?"

"I..." Jasper stopped. He hated to admit that he did, indeed, have no plan. "I have a plan," he continued, knowing how lame he sounded.

"Your plan is to go with her and help, isn't it?" Emmett accused. "That's a shit-tastic plan, Jasper. Like Carlisle and Esme haven't lost enough already? You were supposed to bring Bella HOME, not help her on the road to suicide."

"I'm not helping her commit suicide!" Jasper snapped. He hadn't been. Not really. He really WAS trying to help her. "It's just...this pull she keeps talking about. It's so STRONG," he said, almost whispering. "I can't seem to steer her away from it. Every time I try, every time I think I've gotten her away from it, it just shows back up, and the next thing I know, we're back on the road, following it along ..."

Emmett nodded. "Carlisle told us." Jasper turned to look at Carlisle, who nodded and then gestured to Emmett to go ahead with his explanation. Jasper turned back to his brother to listen. "Yeah, he said it wasn't something unique to Victoria. He's seen it before when he was with the Volturi... It doesn't always happen, but with strongly mated pairs...well, he was hoping it wouldn't happen to her since she and Edward were together such a short time. But their bond was so strong ..."

Yeah, indeed, Jasper thought. They had all discounted Victoria, almost to their destruction. Discounted her and her bond to her mate. And here he was, following Bella down the same road to destruction.

"Well, what have you tried so far?" Carlisle asked quietly.

Jasper hesitated. "I've been trying to get her to think of all the reasons she has to live. You know, helping her see that she has alternatives to certain destruction." He refused to look at Emmett or Carlisle now, staring off into the woods spread out below them instead.

Emmett was silent for a moment, trying to interpret exactly what Jasper was trying to say. Then his eyes widened and he started chuckling. "You're trying to lure her away with SEX? You must think a lot about your abilities in the sack if you think that's going to make her change her mind about taking out Edward's killers!" Emmett was laughing loudly now.

"She hasn't complained yet," Jasper said stiffly, continuing to stare out into the darkness.

"Oh, man. That is just too funny. I've seen what you've managed so far, Jasper, and I gotta tell you, it wouldn't even get my Rosie to look twice in your direction. How 'bout you and Esme, Carlisle?"

Carlisle looked at Emmett but remained silent. Clearly, he did not want to participate in this particular conversation.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Jasper said, finally looking at Emmett.

"Well, I'm just saying your expertise in the area of wooing women is sadly lacking," Emmett told him, a grin still on his face.

"There is nothing wrong with my wooing skills," Jasper snarled at him.

"Oh, puh-lease! What kind of presents have you bought her?"

"Bella doesn't like presents," Jasper informed him. "I've hunted for her..." It seemed to him to be very, well, not ROMANTIC per se, but certainly a sign of his devotion to her.

"Whatever. She showed up here with you wearing dead animals, Jasper. You bring her dead animals to wear and you bring her dead animals to eat. Shit, you probably fucked like animals all over the Arctic Circle last fall…"

"We are NOT having this conversation," Jasper said angrily, standing up and stalking off. Emmett was beside him in a split second, grabbing his arm and dragging him back.

"We ARE having this conversation," Emmett told him. "This conversation has nothing to do with your sex life and EVERYTHING to do with saving Bella."

"You could have fooled me," Jasper hissed at him.

Carlisle finally decided it would be a good time to step in.

"Jasper, son, look, I'm sorry Emmett got your back up with his less-than-diplomatic approach, but we need to talk about this. I see what's going on – we all do. You've...bonded with her. It's pretty obvious, Jasper. It's also obvious that she likes you. A lot."

"She loves me," Jasper whispered almost silently. "She told me. And I love her."

Emmett inhaled sharply, and Jasper felt shock from both him and Carlisle. Shock, followed by disbelief.

"That's…that's wonderful, Jasper," Carlisle said slowly, but sincerely. "But she's on this…this mission. Apparently, she still intends to continue on to Italy, in spite of her...feelings...for you. We know this. You know this. And we're all afraid that there's nothing we can do to steer her away from it."

"You think I don't KNOW THIS?" Jasper shouted. "You don't think that this is what is on my mind ALL THE TIME?" Well, not all the time. But that was back in the realm of 'none of Emmett's business'. "I'm doing my best! And dammit, if I can't steer her onto another course of action, I'll be fuckin' DAMNED if I let her follow her course alone."

Carlisle held up his hands. "I know, Jasper, I know. I hear what you're saying, but..."

"No 'but'," Jasper hissed. "This topic is over."

"No, it's not," Carlisle said firmly. Behind him, Emmett took a step back - whether it was to avoid the explosion he expected from Jasper or because he was shocked by Carlisle's tone, Jasper couldn't tell.

"We are NOT discussing my and Bella's personal life. I can't believe you'd be so crass as to..."

"Your personal life is not the topic of discussion here…"

"Well, you could have fooled me."

"Do NOT interrupt me!" Carlisle thundered, stepping towards Jasper. "Emmett's methods may leave something to be desired, but HIS concern is OUR concern. I have already lost a son to the Volturi. I REFUSE to lose any more children. You and Bella will NOT be continuing on to Italy, do you understand me?" He glared at Jasper, clearing expecting a response now.

Trapped by his very nature, doomed to forever be a good soldier, Jasper immediately backed down at Carlisle's commanding tone. "Yes, sir," he whispered. "But I don't know how to stop her."

"You don't have to, not anymore. WE will figure something out. You've done well, Jasper. You brought her home…well, back to us. We'll figure out what happens next. Together."


	34. Chapter 34

SM Owns the characters.

Chapter 34

Alice, Rosalie, and Bella halted in front of the door leading to the subterranean tunnel exit, waiting for Esme to join them. They stood in silence; and as the moments ticked by, it became a less-than-comfortable silence.

Finally, Alice sighed. "So, Bella...do you have a preference for what we hunt tonight? Thirsty for anything in particular?"

Rosalie turned to look at her sister in surprise. "Really, Alice? Aren't you just going to look and see what we're going to do? We actually get to pick?"

"Just trying to make small talk, Rose," Alice snapped. "I thought it made a nice ice breaker."

"Oh, yeah. Much better than, oh, I don't know, maybe, 'So, Bella, what the hell have you been doing for the last couple months? Have a nice visit to Siberia? Ever plan on coming home?' Because really, Alice, who doesn't want to ignore the elephant in the room?"

Bella tried to shrink into herself. This wasn't awkward. Not at all.

Suddenly Esme appeared at her side and put her arm around Bella's shoulder. "So, ladies!" she said brightly. "Shall we hunt? Alice, did Richard have any suggestions for us?"

"Um, yes, actually...he mentioned that there were two different wolf packs in the outlying areas that needed thinning. There's also more than enough deer in the area, and the fox population is quite healthy, as long as we don't over-indulge. And martins. There are plenty of martins. Oh - and he doesn't want us to bury the carcasses."

Bella made a face. "Not martins. They're disgusting."

Esme laughed. "Alright, then. Not martins. They're awfully small, anyway. Why don't we just see what we run across once we're out there?" She looked down at Bella. "Will you be alright hunting in a group situation, Bella? Or would you prefer to go with just one of us?"

Bella noticed she wasn't given the option of hunting alone. Before she could answer, though, Rosalie spoke up again.

"Or would you prefer one of us to just grab something for you and bring it to you?"

Alice hissed and elbowed Rosalie - hard - in her ribs. Esme acted as if Rose hadn't spoken at all, and Bella decided to follow her lead. She wasn't sure what Rose's problem was, but she remembered her blond sister's bitchiness well, and she really did not feel like engaging her now. "I think I'll be fine in a...group. I mean, I guess I won't know for sure until we start. But it didn't bother me to have Jasper nearby when I hunted."

Esme nodded approvingly. "Excellent, dear. Well, ladies, shall we?" She indicated that they should precede her through the door. Rose went first, followed by Alice, then Bella, and finally Esme.

They emerged on the darkened village street a few minutes later. The three younger women turned to look at Esme for direction.

"We need to go west, as the men are planning to go east," she told them. "Come on, now. Quickly..."

They flitted out of the village and were quickly deep in the forest that surrounded it on all sides. It wasn't long before they caught the scent of deer, all four of them smelling it in almost the same instant. Silently trading looks, they took off in the direction of the scent.

A few minutes later they came upon two does, startled from their sleep by the sudden appearance of four unknown predators almost right on top of them. A split second later Esme and Rosalie struck; and after a brief hesitation, Alice and Bella took off once again into the night. Only mates shared meals.

It wasn't long before they came across more deer; a small herd this time. They quickly selected their kills and were soon feeding quietly on opposite sides of a small meadow. Bella finished first, and was glad to notice that she had managed to feed rather neatly. She'd really made an effort, too; she did not want to embarrass herself in front of her mother and sisters. She seated herself on a log and patiently waited for Alice to be done. It could not be a coincidence that Esme and Rosalie had made their kills first, allowing her and Alice to continue on ahead to give them time alone with each other. Bella sighed. There was no use putting off this discussion, no matter what it might hold.

Soon Alice was joining her on the log, and they sat in silence for a few minutes. Unlike earlier in the castle, however, it was not at all uncomfortable. In fact, it reminded Bella very much of how things had been before...before she and Edward and Carlisle had flown to Italy.

"So..." she started

"I guess we might as well..." Alice said at the same time.

They looked at each other, and then burst out laughing.

"You first," Alice said.

"Coward," mumbled Bella, but she said it with a small grin.

"Yep."

"Do you know what I'm going to say already?"

"Yep."

"Then why do I even need to say it?"

"Because, Bella, I SEE you saying it. If you don't say it - even though I know what you're going to say - you will never know what happens when you say it, and that changes the future."

Bella looked at her. "It must be a very confusing place - there in your mind," she finally said.

"You have NO idea," Alice told her, but continued smiling.

"Alright then." Bella took a deep - and completely useless - breath. "Alice, I just want you to know that Jasper explained to me what happened to you two - what Chelsea did to you on the dock in Alaska." She paused and glanced at Alice, who continued to smile and nod her head a little. "And I am so, so sorry that it happened..."

"Yes," Alice said. "It was...horrible. And confusing. And frightening that someone could just take something like that away from you, just by touching you. Make something so...so integral to your very existence disappear. Disappear on such a level that not only was it gone, you didn't even CARE that it was gone because it might as well have never existed in the first place."

"Do you think...I mean, do you want...do you want Jasper back?" Bella asked, her voice barely audible.

Alice laughed, startling Bella. "Oh, Bella. Jasper's not a thing to be traded back and forth! He's a person! And I think it's pretty clear to everyone what he wants! I don't 'want' him at all. I mean, I feel great affection for him as a brother, I suppose - at least that bitch wasn't able to sever everything. But do I want him as a mate? No. Not a bit. Bella, I know you've been worried and scared about that. You have nothing to worry about from me."

Bella looked up, making eye contact with Alice for the first time in the conversation. "Good," she said, her voice stronger than it had been. "Good. I want you to know how very, very, very sorry I am that it ever happened. And part of me wishes that you could somehow fix things with him. But, Alice, I need to tell you that I've, well, I think I've fallen in love with Jasper. There, I've said it. I've fallen in love with him. And I don't want that to change. And I don't want him to go back to you. I'm sorry. I'm not sorry that what I'm feeling happened - never, ever, that. I'm sorry if, by it happening, I've hurt you, or ended our friendship."

Alice scooted closer to her on the log and wrapped her arms around Bella, hugging her tightly. Bella stiffened for a moment, her instincts screaming 'danger' with the other vampire's touch. She quickly recovered, though, and was able to relax in the embrace before hugging Alice back.

"Never, Bella. Never. I will always be your best friend, and you will always be mine. I'm so happy that you love him."

"You don't think I'm betraying Edward?" Bella whispered, voicing another of her unspoken fears; one she'd been saving, unable to ask Jasper, and afraid she'd be unable to ask her best friend.

"No, sweetheart, I don't," Alice told her, stroking her hair gently. "Not a bit. I think Edward would be very, very happy that you had found someone to love. He would never have wanted you to go through eternity alone."

"But now YOU don't have anybody..."

"Bella, I may not have anybody, but I have no problem looking. I have no mate that I'm mourning, and I have eternity to find someone. And before you ask - no, I haven't seen anything in that...area. I am, right now, perfectly happy and content with my family, and MORE than happy to have my favorite sister back."

After a moment, Bella pulled back. They sat together in companionable silence for a bit.

"Alice..." Bella began. "I've got a question...about you being able to see me and Jasper - or, rather, about you NOT being able to see me. Do you think it's tied to my shield?"

"Absolutely," Alice replied immediately. "I could only see you when you would drop it. And even then, a lot of times it was pretty, I don't know, unclear. Hazy. I guess we know why now - you weren't actually dropping it all the way!"

"But what about Jasper? Why couldn't you see him? I mean, we've been practicing lately – I've deliberately been trying to shield him. But before Kiev, I never felt like I was doing anything."

"No, THAT I don't know, Bella. Maybe you WERE shielding him a bit, but didn't realize it. After all, from what you've said about...Edward, there at the very end...in Volterra...well, he seemed to think you might have been shielding him from Aro's powers a little bit. Did you feel like you were doing anything then?"

Bella shook her head slowly. "No, I didn't feel like anything was happening at all then."

"Well, maybe that's it then. Maybe you're doing it a little bit all the time without realizing you are doing anything at all. Or, maybe Jasper's future was so wrapped around yours that his disappeared, too. We could always try testing it when we get back. In fact, it would probably be a very good idea to do just that. I'm sure Carlisle would agree..." Her eyes glazed over for a moment as she searched their future.

"See anything?" Bella asked.

"Nope. Nothing. I see Rosalie and Esme showing up here any time now, but nothing beyond that. Hmmm...well, everything has been so up in the air lately, that's not surprising."

"Huh. Well, then, my shield's been down for over a day now - can I ask you...would you look...can you see anything? Can you tell me what I do? You know, um, further out in the future," she finished, almost whispering.

Alice hesitated, but then went ahead and appeared to look. Again, after a moment, she shook her head.

"I don't see anything. But, remember, when I look deliberately I don't always get a vision...and again, everything is so up in the air right now, I'm not surprised. I'm not getting clear visions about ANY of us anymore. Just glimpses of this and that; all of it pretty meaningless. In fact, if I could get a headache, I'm sure I WOULD be getting one. It's been VERY annoying lately."

"Oh. Okay." Bella sighed, and silence descended again.

"So," Bella said, "earlier you said I have nothing to worry about from you. Does that mean I have something to worry about from someone else?'

"Caught that, did you?" Alice asked ruefully. "Well, I think I ought to warn you that...."

"There you girls are!" Esme said, bursting out of the trees behind them. "I thought we'd lost you!" Rose followed her at a much slower pace.

Bella glanced at both women, and then back at Alice, whose back was still turned to them. Alice rolled her eyes in the direction of Rose and mouthed the word "later" to Bella before turning to Esme. "Yep, here we are! We just finished ours a few minutes ago. Should we continue on or go back? I'm not really hungry for more - how 'bout you, Bella?"

Bella shook her head. "I'm not hungry, either. Now that my shield isn't up all the time, I don't need to feed like I did while we were...traveling. But, I don't want to go back either. It's a little bit claustrophobic back there."

"And creepy," Alice added. "And poorly decorated."

Rose snorted. "What do you expect from five bachelors living alone in a castle, Alice? Especially when two of them are so old they were probably living in a cave when they were changed. This is probably a vast improvement for them."

"Only two of them - the other three should have better taste."

"Right.... I'm not even sure why you would begin to think that."

Alice shrugged. "Well, look at the Volturi - THEY live in a castle, but it's not a pit like this one. Even their feeding chamber is tastefully done."

"Okay, one, that is just disgusting, and two, Aro is GAY."

"He has a mate, and she's a...well, she's a _she_," Esme interjected.

Rosalie rolled her eyes. "So he swings both ways. I'm telling you, he's gay."

"How would you know? You've never even met him!"

"I've heard all your stories." She turned to look at Bella. "What do you think? You've met him. Twice."

The other three women froze. "Rose..." Esme said softly, a warning clear in her voice. Bella stared at Rose, her eyes narrowing.

"I think he is evil. Evil and sick. And I think that no amount of filigree and gold leaf and stolen art and hypocritical singing about the importance of his false laws can make up for that. It really doesn't matter to me who he likes to fuck." Bella stood up and brushed the dirt and moss off the seat of her pants. "I think maybe the castle isn't so claustrophobic after all." Without a backward glance she took off into the woods, heading back in the direction of the castle. Esme gave Rose a reproachful look before following her.

"Are you TRYING to cause more problems for all of us?" Alice hissed, rounding on Rose.

"What? It was an innocent question!"

"Oh, don't give me that! I don't think an innocent ANYTHING has come out of your mouth since Jasper and Bella showed up!"

"Why are you so accepting of them? Together. I don't understand how you can be...seeing them...and FEELING them today, together, knowing it wasn't you and Jasper making those feelings anymore..." Rose sat down on the log in the spot Bella had vacated, and Alice returned to her spot, leaving a bit more room between herself and Rose than she had had with Bella. "I don't understand why it is so easy for you but so hard for ME."

"Well, for starters, I'd like to point out that I DID leave today before the fun started. I'd like to get used to THAT new reality in small doses, thank you very much. And, well, you know, you've never handled change very well..." Alice began, but Rosalie cut her off with a sharp, barking laugh.

"Oh, yes, don't think I don't know that's what everybody says. 'Poor Rose can't handle change'. That must be my 'super vampire power'! But why me? Why am I the only one of us who can't handle change easily? The rest of you just keep going, rolling with the punches, like nothing's happening. And I realize that's not true - I KNOW you're all just as upset as I am. But I'm the only one NOT handling it well. Why me?" She paused for a moment before adding, "God, that sounded whiny, even to me."

Alice reached out and tentatively took Rose's hand. "It's okay, Rose. It's part of who you are. It's just something you brought with you from your human life. We all know this. And we all love you. But, you need to be careful." She stared at Rosalie until the blond vampire met her eyes. "You need to be really, really careful. Because you could cause some real damage with your words."

Rose nodded slowly. "I'll try," she said softly.

"Come on," Alice said, standing up and brushing off her jeans. "Let's go back to the castle. We need to get cleaned up, and I think Bella is desperately in need of some help with her hair. She let that idiot braid it this morning without even trying to take any of the tangles out, from the looks of it."

* * *

After the heated exchange of words and resulting understanding they'd come to, silence had descended on the three Cullen men as they seated themselves on the rock once again. To nobody's surprise, it was Emmett who broke the silence.

"Oh, dude, you aren't going to believe this!"

Jasper had to grin at Emmett's excitement. He'd missed his brother, as well as the almost constant stream of positive feelings the big vampire put off.

"Oh, dude," he mocked Emmett. "What?"

"Carlisle said we're going to get flying lessons when we get back. You and me, getting our pilot's licenses - FINALLY!" Emmett had been pushing for this for decades, but Carlisle had always steadfastly refused to allow it. There were times when they could have done it without Carlisle's 'parental permission', as they were often on their own posing as young adults; but for some reason Emmett had never bothered trying. Jasper had never had much of an interest in it. And Edward, well, Edward had always looked too young, and the two times he'd attempted to get it, he and his "obviously fake ID" had been sent packing by the airfield. After those two times, he'd been too embarrassed to even try again.

"Really?" Jasper looked at Carlisle in surprise. "We are? What's changed?"

"All these new flying rules. We're just not going to be able to get around them anymore, at least not easily," Carlisle said. "After what happened to me in London two years ago - and the increased security measures - it's just not a good idea."

Jasper nodded slowly. It made sense. And he wouldn't lie - the thought of learning to fly a plane did excite him. "But...won't we run into problems taking lessons? I mean, pilots are pretty observant - it might be difficult to hide the fact that we're not quite human, especially if we're locked in a small space with them. 'Cuz we WILL have to take lessons, at least for that initial license."

"Well, it can't be too hard - the Volturi have pilots. At least, they did...." Emmett trailed off.

"I believe the Volturi change their pilots AFTER they have learned to fly," Carlisle said. "Aro has always preferred his guard members to come pre-trained in whatever specialty he is looking for. It saves time later. That certainly still applies today in this modern age, more than ever before."

"Ah..." Emmett said. "That explains why Alice's vision showed Aro and Marcus fighting about the loss of Antoine, and Marcus saying how 'these things take time'. Either way, it would take a while - whether it was training a vampire or waiting for a newborn to gain enough control to go back to flying a plane."

"Exactly," Carlisle said. "Besides, we now know somebody who is a pilot, and who is exceptionally incurious, unobservant, or just doesn't care about our 'differences'."

"Bella has a brother?" Jasper asked. Emmett looked puzzled for a moment, and then started laughing.

"NO! Carlisle's talking about Earl. We met him in Anchorage. He actually employed Antoine as a pilot, you know, before Demetri and company showed up and burnt him to the ground. Earl's the guy who hooked us up with the pilot who brought us over here. He does a lot of work...under the radar. Ya know? He'll be more than happy to teach us how to fly - for a price. That is, if he's still alive when we get back." Emmett looked worried for a moment.

"Well, he should be," Carlisle said. "I left him a hefty sum of money and suggested it might be a good time to take an extended vacation on a tropical island somewhere as soon as we'd left. He's the kind of person that survives. I'm sure he took my advice."

"Oh. Good idea."

"So, this Antoine was working as a pilot? Why the hell would he need a job?" Jasper asked. "What kind of vampire needs a job? Present company excluded," he added, smiling at Carlisle.

"I have no idea. Maybe he just wanted to fly. Or needed to fly. If Aro had chosen his pilot well - and he always chooses well - the vampire in question might have had an actual need to fly. That's not something you can do when you're not part of society."

"And he was working for a human? That's a little...odd. What happened to the plane he was flying? The one he threw Bella out of..."

Carlisle shrugged. "I don't know that, either. I assume he ditched it in the ocean. It is one thing to try to hide oneself from the Volturi - although it could be argued that taking a job in the human world is perhaps not the best way to remain hidden – but it is quite another to explain away the existence of what was probably a very expensive aircraft."

"What I don't understand," Emmett said, "is why he couldn't have just brought Bella all the way to Alaska with him. I mean, what the hell was the point of throwing her out over that Kamchatka place, when it would have been just as easy to ditch her over here? Even if he did land the plane in the ocean. It would have made everything so much easier."

"That has bugged the hell out of me, too, Carlisle, since you told me about it," Jasper said, trying to ignore the lurch in his chest Emmett's words caused him. Easier, yes. But then...nothing else would have changed. He would still be with Alice, and Bella would still be alone. And that's not what he wanted, not now. He didn't pursue that line of thought any further, refusing to think about how things could have been when he was so damn happy now with the way things actually were. Instead he turned, looking at Carlisle expectantly. He sifted quickly through Carlisle's emotions. "You know something," he said suddenly. "Or, you have a theory."

Carlisle sighed. "Maybe. I don't know if you could even call it a theory. It's more like a suspicion, if that. It's really just a bad, bad feeling. Just...well, let me tell you a little bit about my stay with the Volturi."

Emmett settled back onto the rock, obviously settling in to hear a good story. Jasper, in contrast, sat forward and tensed up. Any information about the Volturi was useful, and he had a feeling that whatever Carlisle had to say would be even more important.

"Well, then. You are more than aware, by now, of Aro's penchant for...collecting, for want of a better word." Jasper nodded. "He has always been very curious; fascinated with acquiring knowledge, just as he acquires other things - artwork, people... While he's constantly looking for new members, it's no longer his sole focus as it was in the earlier days. Once his guard was formed to his satisfaction, he turned his interests elsewhere. By the time I met him, the Age of Enlightenment was in full swing in Europe amongst the humans, and he fancied himself quite a natural philosopher."

Carlisle fell silent for a moment, his eyes unfocused, and Jasper could tell he was remembering back several centuries. "Well, of course, the attributes of humans interested him very little. Vampire physiology and behavior, on the other hand, was an entirely different matter. I'm afraid he and his brothers indulged in several activities that would have made Hitler and his associates envious."

Emmett sat up at that point. "I don't understand, Carlisle. You stayed with him for decades. You always seemed to, I don't know, admire him."

"Respect him, yes. Admire him, no. And respect comes in many forms. It is always a good idea to have a healthy dose of respect for someone who is dangerous. And Aro and his brothers are very, very dangerous. And you must also realize that I didn't learn many of these things about him until after I had been with them for several decades. Once I learned of them, I left. I left and traveled as far away as possible. And every interaction I have had with them since then has only reinforced in my mind what an excellent choice leaving was... I wish I had never had reason to interact with them again - they only ever cause pain." Carlisle's voice faded off, and the three of them sat in silence for a few minutes.

"Carlisle," Jasper finally prodded gently. "You were saying...?"

Carlisle shook his head and smiled slightly. "Yes, of course. Sorry about that. Well, early on in my stay, we were all gathered in the audience chamber. The brothers were holding 'court', as it were, to meet with a small coven that had come to visit from the Far East. While there, a nomad burst into the room. To say that he was bedraggled does not even begin to describe the way he looked. He was filthy, and wild, and clearly half out of his mind. Everyone was so startled that he was actually on the dais with his hands around Caius' throat before any of the guard even moved. Needless to say, he was dead within seconds, torn to pieces and the bits thrown into the fire."

"Holy shit," Emmett said.

"Indeed," Carlisle said, nodding. "But instead of being angry, which I would have expected, Aro was actually delighted. He was pleased, and I could not understand why. He turned to Caius and said, 'See, I told you, brother - they ALWAYS come back. It took this one, what, eight decades almost? But he returned, still so full of anger. NOW will you believe me how important Chelsea and her power are to us? I know she angered you, but you need to get over it. We need to bring her back to the fold. We need no more experiments to prove this'."

Carlisle stared at Jasper. "The rest of the guard members began to fade away, quietly leaving the room. I made to join them - I had only been with them for a decade at that point, but it had not taken me long to realize that curiosity was not always a good thing to exhibit in Volterra, even for a favored guest such as myself. But I lingered by the door, listening a bit longer - long enough to hear Aro. 'We cannot just go killing part of a mated pair, willy-nilly, and not expect consequences. We need Chelsea back here to actually SEVER those bonds. Marcus is right, as he always is about such things. That bond is much too strong; when it is still in place, the remaining individual is useless to us.' At that point, I had heard enough - more than I'd wanted to hear. I left the room and mentioned none of what I'd heard to anyone. I did not know this Chelsea they spoke of. I had not heard her name mentioned by anyone. After hearing what Aro said to Caius, I made SURE to never mention her name. In all the time I was there, I never met her."

"But she's back with them now," Jasper said quietly, anger seeping into his voice.

Carlisle nodded. "Yes. After your...encounter...with her in Alaska, Eleazar told me that she did indeed rejoin the guard, about a decade or so after I had taken my leave. He knew nothing of what she had done to anger Caius; but clearly, Aro felt that she and her talent were too valuable to destroy because of it, and they brought her back and restored her to her position, where she remains to this day."

"So they knew..." Jasper hissed.

Carlisle nodded, watching him carefully. "Yes."

Emmett looked confused. "I don't understand. I mean, I understand about the Chelsea chick, but..."

Jasper growled, tensing with the need to destroy something – anything. Refusing to look at his brother or father, he said, "In the hall...what Edward told Bella...about Caius and the hooded woman...."

"Chelsea. Yes, I believe it was her trying to use her powers to break their bond and force their loyalty to the Volturi."

"But," Emmett spluttered, "doesn't that go against all of Aro's precious laws? I thought he didn't force people to join if they didn't want to? He's never tried to force them before. He didn't try to force Alice and Edward when they were there before."

"Aro, perhaps; but Caius has always had a somewhat...looser...interpretation of the laws he and his brothers created, especially how the law applies to them as opposed to how it applies to the rest of us."

"But when that didn't work, why would they have killed Edward? What did they hope to gain?"

Carlisle shrugged. "That, I have no way of knowing. Perhaps they thought Chelsea's power would be of more use once one of the pair was dead."

"But why did they kill Edward, and not Bella?" Emmett asked. "Wouldn't he be more valuable to them?"

"They knew Edward would never join them," Jasper answered. "He'd turned them down before. Bond or no bond with Bella, they wouldn't want to take the chance. They - whoever made the decision to do this, whether it was Aro or Caius, or both together - took a major chance in destroying a member of a large, powerful coven, which means that whoever did this thought Bella was valuable enough to take that chance. Just as valuable, or more so than Edward would be."

"Exactly," Carlisle said. "They took a major chance in keeping her alive. If they could not break the bond and she escaped..."

"Which she did."

"Which she did... They knew she would come for them."

"Which she is."

Carlisle nodded.

Jasper was silent for a moment, thinking. "Alice said that they came looking for you - for the family - and then intended to go after her. Why not find her first?"

Carlisle shrugged. "We're easier to find - large group, unwilling to split up for any length of time, and Demetri can find us. Demetri CANNOT find Bella. And, really, they have to know they don't have to look for her at all when it comes down to it – she'll find THEM."

"But they don't want her to rejoin us," Emmett said, catching on.

"Exactly," Carlisle said.

"Her shield," Jasper whispered. "They know it's stronger - or they guess it would be. They don't want her to use it to protect us. We would rival them if none of their powers worked on us. We would be a major threat to them."

"But we don't want to overthrow them," Emmett said, puzzled. "They should know that. You've never given any sign of wanting that, Carlisle."

"They can't believe that," Carlisle told them. "Because it is what THEY would do, they can only believe it is what I would do."

"Great," Emmett said. "So, they're blaming you – us – for sedition, whether we intend it or not."

"Pretty much," Carlisle agreed.

"I still don't know why this Antoine threw her out of the plane. Why steal her? Why dump her? Why not just destroy her?" Jasper said. "It makes no sense."

"I don't know either, but I tell you, they do nothing without purpose. None of them, either alone or together. There are no altruistic actions from that trio. Not even from Marcus. I don't care how 'friendly' she became with him while he was with her during that time she spent in the box."

"MARCUS?" Jasper said, jumping up. "It was MARCUS talking to her? She never said this! She never named him!" He began pacing back and forth but did not give in to his urge to run back to the castle. He knew Carlisle would tackle him before he'd gotten a hundred yards through the woods. "She told me she didn't know who it was – why would she lie about that?" So much venom had suddenly pooled in Jasper's mouth that he was forced to turn and spit it out on the rock, where it hissed a bit when it hit the organic matter laying there.

"Jasper. Son," Carlisle said, holding up a hand but not getting up. "Please, calm down. I don't think Bella knows it was Marcus. Indeed, I don't know that for sure either. I'm just guessing. The story this visitor told her matches Marcus' story of his mate, Didyme. And only one of the brothers would be able to hide anything - let alone something this big - from Aro's talent for any amount of time." He glanced at Emmett, warning him with a look to not get up and approach his brother right now. "And we now know from Alice's visions that Marcus has indeed been avoiding Aro's touch. It all fits..."

"So, I need to kill him, as well as Caius." Jasper spit again, and then resumed his pacing up and down on the rock.

"But...he helped her escape, didn't he?" Emmett asked.

"He didn't help her escape, Emmett. Didn't you listen to Carlisle? They do nothing without cause. If he was helping her escape, then she would have shown up in Anchorage with Antoine."

"So what...."

"I don't know. But the answer is closer; I can just about grab it now," Jasper growled in frustration.

Carlisle stood up. "Well," he started, glancing eastward where the sky was lightening, "we need to head back. I suggest we all think about this and gather later today to discuss it. And Jasper?"

"Yes, Carlisle?" Jasper said, coming to a stop and looking at his father.

"I suggest we don't discuss any of this with Bella just yet, not until we have more...ideas or information. Wouldn't you agree?"

Jasper nodded. "Yes, I'd like to think about it and talk to you some more first before I approach her with any of this."

"Well, shall we head back now?"

The two younger men nodded and they headed back towards the castle at a run. When they reached the outskirts of the village, they slowed to a walk and headed for the building with the concealed entrance.

"Why don't we just use the front gate?" Jasper asked curiously.

"They've got a gift shop set up and shit – it's for the 'public'," Emmett answered.

"Are they eating tourists like the Volturi?" Jasper asked.

"No," Carlisle said. "Marton advised against that. There's still plenty of military strife in this part of the world for their feeding purposes, and plenty of crime in the cities to support many vampires. They don't usually feed here at the castle anymore; the occasional local criminal, but other than that they feed elsewhere."

"How do the villagers feel about that? Are they aware of what lives in their castle?"

Carlisle snorted. "Oh, yes. That is half the reason the Volturi and the Romanians had their falling out all those centuries ago. The Romanians have never made any effort to hide what they are. It's a new world now, though. I don't know what will happen to them in the future."

"Whatever happens, we'll probably see it on CNN," Emmett said, laughing.

"Probably. For right now, though, things are quiet for them. You two go on up – I'm going to check on the car, and then I need to speak to Stefan."

Jasper and Emmett headed up through the tunnel. "Wanna go back to the girls?" Emmett asked as they emerged into the hallway.

Jasper sent out feelers. He could feel the five Romanians spread out around the castle. The women were all there, too; all of them in the suite. They were all...happy. Sated and happy.

"Nah," he said. "They're having a good time. Let's not interrupt them. Been up on the tower yet?"

"Oh, yeah – dude, I gotta show you something up there. Come on!" Emmett took off at a run down the hallway in the opposite direction of the stairs, and Jasper was right behind him.

* * *

A/N: I have news! I meant to put this in the A/N Saturday, but since I was up till all hours with my Beta learning new computer skilz, I was too damn tired to write about what it was we were doing, and just hit the "post" button. I was re-birthed Thursday night, and ironically enough, it was as a Lamb! The ladies over at the "Altered Lions and Sacrificial Lambs" Blog asked me to join them, and I accepted. Friday night I got my first tutorial on how to post to the blog. Major kudos to Jasper's Destiny for being able to walk me through it using only gchat as a way to communicate. We tried using Skype, but my computer didn't like it. I was upside down in the video, and my microphone didn't work. Very disconcerting, according to Jasper's Destiny. Anyhoo, if you are over 18 (and I know you all must be, or you wouldn't be reading an "M" rated story, right?), check out the site! It offers a variety of story recs every week, a good bit of regular fuckery, a daily dose of tasteful, um, artwork, and lots of other great stuff. My birth announcement is up over there, on the Thursday, April 22 segment. And Silly Saturday's post? That was mine. Well, Jasper's Destiny helped a lot. But I found the stuff, and attempted to post it to the site - with mixed results that she fixed for me.


	35. Chapter 35

A/N: SM Owns the characters.

I need to thank JaspersDestiny for being such a great Beta, because I haven't thanked her enough lately!

Chapter 35

"So, what did you want to show me?" Jasper asked when they'd reached the top of the taller of the castle's two crumbling towers. Leaning on the crenellation, they looked out and down over the village that was gradually growing clearer in the dawn's light.

"Watch this," Emmett said, breaking off a piece of stone and crumbling it into gravel. Taking careful aim, he tossed a piece into the village below, apparently trying to get the bit of stone to go into one of the chimneys.

"What are you, six years old?" Jasper asked in disbelief as he watched the rock make it into the chimney.

"Nah, man, it's harder than it looks. You should try it. We gotta stop if people start coming outside, though. Dracula gets really pissy about it."

"I imagine he does," Jasper said. He lasted through several more tosses before he broke down and broke his own stone off the battlement. It took more control than he thought - and more than he thought Emmett possessed - to get the rock to go down a chimney. On his first attempt, he used too big of a rock and too much power; it took off the entire top layer of brick, causing it to explode outward, and it fell down on the roof of the house and into the street in front of it.

"Shit," Jasper said, dropping down behind the crenellation and peeking out to see if anybody came out of the house. Emmett dropped down beside him, laughing so hard Jasper was sure the whole village would wake up. Sure enough, someone came stumbling out of the house to stare at the brick in the roadway, and then back up at their destroyed chimney.

"Dude, you have SO ended my game. Good going, dumb-ass. I thought you had all sorts of control!"

"You should know by now control is NOT something I have," Jasper hissed at him.

"I thought that just applied to sucking humans dry. You play baseball just fine! And why'd you use a fucking boulder? You're supposed to use LITTLE rocks."

"Oh, shut UP!"

"You're going to have to pay for that, you know," Emmett said smugly.

"Oh, yeah?"

"OH, yeah. No getting away with shit for YOU anymore, brother of mine!"

"How do you figure that?"

"Because you're not bangin' Alice anymore," Emmett said smugly. "Now you'll know what it's like to be down in the trenches with the rest of us. No, siree, you'll be feeling the effects of the Cullen Family Tattle Tale, just like the rest of us."

"By 'rest of us', I assume you mean YOU," Jasper said.

"Well, yeah, but still. Bet you five hundred bucks she'll have squealed on you by the time we get back downstairs."

"She wouldn't," Jasper said.

"Oh, she WOULD. Don't doubt it for a second. You can try paying her off to keep her mouth shut. Shit, it might even work for you – she probably likes you better, anyway, considering...well, considering everything. But after a while, you'll realize it's cheaper and easier to just pay Carlisle for whatever damages you caused, 'cuz the prices Alice charges to keep her trap shut are just too damn high."

Jasper considered this bit of information for a moment. He'd been aware of Alice's...activities...through the years. He'd never considered how things might have changed for him in that area, too.

There was no way Alice would betray him and 'tattle' on him to Carlisle. No way. "I'll take that bet," he said confidently, holding out his hand. Emmett spat into his own hand and grabbed Jasper's, shaking it.

Jasper wrenched his hand back after the briefest of contacts and rubbed it on his pants. "Man, I wish you would stop doing that. It's bad enough when humans do it. I don't want your venom on me. That's just gross."

"Yeah, whatever. Oh, by the way, you and Bella owe Carlisle about two million big ones."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Yeah, you heard me. That box car you were in? You know, when you were having your little 'Orient Express' interlude? Those crates you two destroyed were full of medical equipment."

"No way."

"Way. You didn't think she'd let THAT slide, did you? Dying children, and all that, waiting for that shit to arrive..."

"Who the hell ships medical equipment by rail? And in a fuckin' wooden boxcar?" To be honest, Jasper hadn't paid attention to WHAT was in the crates - before OR after he and Bella had...rearranged the contents.

"Russians, evidently, when it's coming from China. Anyways, just thought I'd give you a heads up. I'm sure Carlisle will be bringing it up at some point. He made all sorts of calls as soon as Alice had her vision of THAT, and he had replacements 'donated' by the end of your trip. Hell, they probably arrived at the hospital before the hospital even knew their own stuff was destroyed."

Yeah. Jasper was sure he would be hearing from Carlisle. And he couldn't even complain about it - they HAD destroyed a lot of the boxcar's contents during their rail journey. They hadn't meant to, but it had sort of just...happened. Those crates had been flimsy, anyway; WAY too flimsy to be shipping medical equipment in. He remembered this one move that Bella had...

"DUDE! Cut it out unless you want me humping your ass right here," Emmett hissed, aiming a kick at Jasper which sent him sliding across the battlement where he crashed into the far stones, causing several of the stones to fall into the courtyard below.

"Sorry! Sorry!" Jasper said.

"Yeah, whatever. Fuckin' A, Jasper! Can't you keep it reined in for just a little while? Maybe you and Bella should practice shielding THAT shit. What is it with you?"

"I was just thinking. Is that a crime now?"

"You thinking about Bella probably SHOULD be a crime. Christ, can't you just control yourself for a little bit? Not that I blame you..." Emmett trailed off thoughtfully. "She did turn out pretty hot. She's got a fine ass on her. And her tits, man. Yeah, I can see how you..."

"Jesus Christ, Emmett!" Jasper cut him off. "You're talking about your sister! Do you mind?"

"Hello, Pot. She was YOUR sister, too, until you decided to shake things up a bit! I'm just making an observation here. Not like I intend to act on it…unlike SOME people."

Jasper snarled at him, and Emmett held up his hands. "Alright, alright. Hey, do you think...maybe she's a succubus, too, along with being a shield. You think that's possible? I mean, look at Edward - the eternal virgin, and then all of a sudden - BANG - he can't get enough of her. And now you. Maybe that's why all you want to do is fuck her..."

"ENOUGH with discussing our sex life, Emmett! ENOUGH!"

"You are so touchy about the whole thing, Jasper. What happened to your sense of humor?"

"Gee, Emmett, I don't know. Maybe I left it on the Siberian tundra. Or, I know, maybe it's still sitting on a dock in Alaska," Jasper hissed. "Or maybe a field somewhere in Italy."

Emmett had the grace to look abashed. "Sorry, man, I wasn't thinking."

Jasper backed down, relaxing a little. "I know, Emmett, I know. I'm sorry for snapping at you. Things are just so tense right now between Bella…and all of you. It's driving me crazy, and I feel like I'm going to REALLY snap, ya know?"

"I know, Jazz. I know."

The silence that fell over them was more comfortable now, reminding Jasper of before - before everything changed. This time, though, it was he who broke it, not Emmett.

"So...dare I ask what the hell Rosalie's problem is?"

"You can ask," Emmett snorted.

"I just did."

"You. Bella. More specifically, you WITH Bella."

"I kind of figured that. Would it help if I pointed out that it's none of her damn business?"

"Nope. Probably not. You're welcome to try, though. Everybody else has. You know, though, to be honest, I don't think it's actually the whole 'Jasper's with Bella now' thing that bothers her the most – although that certainly is a problem. You know how well she handles change. But if you ask me, I think it's more of a timing thing."

"Timing?"

"Yeah. She feels like you took the whole 'go get Bella' thing a bit too literally. I mean, here we all are on the verge of possible destruction - one of us already gone, two of us victims of an attack - and you and Bella are taking the time to fall in love. I think she feels the timing could have been a little better."

"What about you, Emmett? What do you think?"

"Can't you tell?"

"I'm the empath, not the mind reader," Jasper said. "I can tell what you're feeling, not what you're thinking."

"Well...I think you've both had really shitty things happen to you, and I'm happy that you both seem to be happy. It helps, of course, that Alice has not once been upset about any of it. If she'd been upset, I may have had to re-think my opinion about the whole thing; maybe kicked your ass a little bit. But there ya go. Seems to have all worked out pretty nicely."

_It must be nice to live in Emmett's world. _"And the others? What do THEY think?"

"Worried?"

Jasper shrugged. "Not really. I CAN tell what all of you are feeling. Nobody is feeling overly upset when they look at Bella or me – except for Rose. I just want to know if I should expect any problems from anybody else besides her. Bella's feeling pretty insecure about rejoining you all. It could help me reassure her if I know what we're up against."

"You're not up against anything. Rosalie will come around. She just needs time to get used to things. You know she won't do anything that will..."

"Shh," Jasper cut him off. "Listen."

From somewhere below them in the castle came the sounds of shrieking. A wave of emotion slammed into Jasper - fear, panic, anger. It cut off abruptly.

"Shit. Bella," Jasper hissed and took off towards the steps. Changing his mind, he leaped over the parapet into the courtyard below instead, quickly followed by Emmett. Slamming the front door open, and throwing it off its hinges in the process, Jasper ran down the hall towards their suite with Emmett close behind. That door was shut, too, and he slammed it open even harder. By some miracle, though, it stayed in one piece.

A bizarre scene met his eyes. Rosalie stood in one corner of the sitting room, holding her arm and glaring across the room. Anger rolled off her in waves. Esme stood next to her, hysterically keening and holding her shoulder, feeling nothing but pain and remorse. Alice was crouched on the floor next to the bathroom door, murmuring quietly. Jasper felt remorse coming from her, too, but nothing stronger.

"Where's Bella?" Jasper demanded. All eyes in the room turned to look at the closed bathroom door. He could feel nothing from within – if she was in there, her shield was up and locked. Well, she was safe enough in there until he figured out what the hell had happened.

"The little bitch BIT me," Rosalie hissed in indignation. Jasper's eyes swung back from the door to look at her. His glance took in the arm she was holding up for him to see. Sure enough, there was a Bella-sized bite mark in her forearm. "And look what she did to Esme!" Rosalie grabbed Esme's hand and yanked it away from her shoulder, where it had been holding on to a slowly fusing chunk of flesh. Esme's keening increased in volume.

"What did you DO?" Jasper snarled at all of them. "You KNOW how to behave around a newborn – what the hell did you do to set her off?" He may have been asking the room in general, but he was staring at Rosalie.

"She's no newborn, Jasper," Rosalie snapped back. "She's almost three years old. Three years old and still biting people! Biting family!"

"Correct me if I'm wrong, Rosalie, but I seem to remember being told stories about YOU, and you were still lobbing furniture at Carlisle when Alice and I moved in a good two decades after your change!" Jasper snapped right back at her. "And don't be too sure about that family bit – she was only with the Cullens for three months." He yanked Alice away from the door and opened it, slamming it hard behind him and locking it, thankful for a moment that Bella hadn't thought to do so herself. He'd already destroyed enough doors in the castle.

She was wedged between the claw foot tub and the stone wall, naked except for a towel she held clutched to her chest. He dropped to his knees and crawled towards her, trying his best to not appear threatening. He needn't have bothered – she didn't appear to be aware of her surroundings at all.

"Bella," he whispered, holding a hand out to her. "Bella, baby? It's me, Jasper."

Bella looked up at his movement and growled.

Shit.

"Bella...." he whispered her name again. "Come on, baby. Please let me in. Please know me, please..."

The growling grew in volume.

"Okay. Okay. We're gonna be okay, Bella. I'll make it okay. You just…you just stay here for a minute, okay? You stay here, and I'll be right back." He hated to leave her here in this condition, but she'd be fine for a few more minutes. It's not like she was very aware of anything anyway.

He backed slowly towards the door, not daring to turn his back on her. Her growling didn't subside until he reached the door, which he unlocked and exited, shutting it firmly behind him. He then turned and quickly surveyed the room.

Emmett had crossed the room in the moments Jasper had been gone, but he was still torn between trying to comfort his mate – a lost cause as far as Jasper was concerned – and trying to comfort Esme. He finally decided to help Esme when Rosalie's flying fist caught him in the side of his head. He led Esme to a couch and sat down with her, holding her torn shoulder for her while she continued to whimper.

"What the hell did you do to her?" Jasper growled at the room in general, but his stare was for Rosalie alone.

"What did WE do to HER?" Rosalie shrieked. "We didn't do ANYTHING to her!"

"Yes, we did," Alice whispered. She was leaning against the wall where Jasper had flung her, and he swung around to face her.

"What? What did you do, Alice?"

"We were getting ready for tonight. We saw Richard on our way in and he said that Stefan wanted to see us all again. Bella...she was going to let me do her hair." If Alice could cry, she would be; instead, she crawled across the floor until she was crouched against the closed door again, holding one hand palm open against the ancient wood. "She...was going to let me wash it for her. She'd taken off her clothes, and wrapped up in a towel..."

Jasper knew what was coming and he cringed. He should have said something to them. He should have warned them, but he hadn't wanted to make her feel self-conscious. And look where it had gotten them. He should have known they'd see her scars. He should have known. He'd forgotten. Being alone with her for so long - just the two of them – he'd forgotten what family was like. He'd forgotten what sisters liked to do.

"Rosalie and I walked in," Esme said quietly from the couch; her keening had stopped. "And we saw her back at the same time Alice did. I...couldn't stop myself." She looked away at the wall, and then back to him. "I hugged her. You said she didn't like to be touched, I know, but she hadn't been bothered at all until then. So, I hugged her…and she growled at me."

"And how, exactly, does hugging and growling turn into biting?" Jasper asked, staring at Rosalie again.

"I moved too fast for her," Esme whispered. "I should have known. I startled her."

"When she growled at Esme, it scared Rosalie," Alice whispered from behind him. "Rose reacted without thinking and pulled Bella away from Esme, and that made things worse. She lunged at Rosalie."

"She went for my THROAT, you mean," Rosalie hissed. "I'm lucky all she got was my arm!"

Alice continued like she hadn't heard Rosalie. "So then Esme tried to pull Bella off of Rose, and that's when she just went...crazy."

Silence descended on the room, but it was broken after a moment by Esme, who had finally calmed down.

"Oh, Jasper, my poor little girl in there. When you said she'd been hurt by the werewolves - on top of everything else that had happened to her - we had NO idea. No idea at all. Her back! My God, Jasper, why didn't you tell us how bad it was?"

It was Jasper's turn to look away. "I didn't think. I just…didn't think. This is my fault."

"It's not YOUR fault, Jasper. It's HER fault," Rosalie spat, still angry. "You weren't even here! Carlisle needs to do something about her, especially if she's supposed to be coming home with us."

Within a second Jasper was across the room, his hand around Rosalie's throat, and he slammed her up against the wall. "She is MY responsibility, Rose. She is MY mate. Her actions - especially right now - are MY responsibility."

Emmett leaped up and rushed to put a restraining hand on Jasper's arm. "Hey, now, that's MY mate there, so keep THAT in mind, brother."

Jasper fought his instincts for a moment until he finally felt rational thought take over. He relaxed his hold on Rosalie's throat and stepped back. As he was doing so, Carlisle burst through the door.

"What the HELL is going on in here?" he said, anger in his carefully controlled voice. "I could hear you all the way down in the garage..." His eyes widened as he took in the scene before him, nostrils flaring as the scent of spilled venom hit him. In an instant he was at Esme's side, tearing her shirt from her shoulder and inspecting the almost-healed wound. He spun them around so he was between her and the rest of the family, and he lowered his head to the wound. The rest of them averted their eyes from the intimate scene, but Jasper knew that Carlisle was sniffing the wound to find out for himself who had caused it, and no doubt licking it to ensure it was sealing properly. It was the instinctive reaction of a mated vampire, but Carlisle so rarely succumbed to his instincts that it made Jasper almost uncomfortable to see him do it.

Another instinctive reaction would be the one Jasper had just almost succumbed to – retaliation against the one who had done the damage. Jasper hoped that Carlisle would regain control before that happened, or else things would get even uglier than they already were.

"Where's Bella?" Carlisle asked quietly, turning to look at all of them.

Jasper stepped forward. "It wasn't her fault, Carlisle. She was frightened and she reacted..."

"OVER-reacted," Rosalie interrupted, stepping up beside Jasper. "All Esme did was hug her."

"All YOU did was grab her," Alice said, not leaving her spot on the floor by the door.

"She didn't need to BITE me because of it."

"You didn't need to GRAB her. All she did was growl. Esme was fine until you grabbed Bella," Alice shot back.

"QUIET!" Carlisle shouted. "I will hear what everybody has to say ONE at a TIME, starting with Esme." He turned to look at his mate.

"Carlisle," Alice said.

"Just a minute, Alice. Let Esme speak, please."

"But Carlisle..."

"I said QUIET!"

"But you really need to know..."

"ALICE!"

"BELLA JUST LEFT THROUGH THE WINDOW!" Alice yelled at him.

"Shit," Jasper said, shoving through them all to get to the door. This time, Alice jumped aside before he could grab her. Flinging the door open, he saw that Alice was right. Somehow Bella had squeezed out of the tiny, narrow window high up on the wall. It was so narrow - and the wall so thick - that he couldn't even lean out of it to see where the hell she might be. She'd left the towel on the floor below the window.

He ran back out of the bathroom and headed for the door, but Carlisle grabbed him.

"Let go!" he yelled, shaking Carlisle's hand off his arm. "I have to go get her."

"WE will go get her," Carlisle said.

Jasper looked around at everybody. They were standing and watching, waiting. "I think WE have done enough, don't you?" he asked.

"Jasper, I told you we were in this together. She is not just your responsibility. As her...father, Bella is my responsibility - even more so than yours. Especially in an instance such as this. A scared newborn has just taken off into broad daylight. WE will go get her. You and me. Together." He walked to the wardrobe next to the door, opened it, and pulled three hooded robes out of it. "Here," he said, handing one to Jasper. After donning a robe himself, he gestured to Jasper to precede him through the door, holding the third robe in his hand.

He paused and looked at Esme before leaving. "You're alright?" he asked softly.

"I'm fine. Bring her home, Carlisle."

Carlisle glanced at his three other children in the room. "You'll take care of things here?"

Esme nodded. "Don't worry. Just go get her."


	36. Chapter 36

AN: SM owns the characters, I make them do things they probably shouldn't, and JaspersDestiny makes sure that it all makes sense...sort of.

Chapter 36

Jasper and Carlisle flitted down the hall and down the stairs in silence. They were stopped from exiting by Stefan, who stood in the remains of the front door of the keep, blocking their way.

"Problems?" he asked Carlisle, pointedly ignoring Jasper.

"A bit of a misunderstanding. Bella's still quite young and easily startled, I'm afraid. Especially after all she's gone through... I'm sure you understand." Carlisle attempted to sidestep Stefan, but the older vampire intercepted him.

"I understand very well." His gaze flickered to Jasper and then back to Carlisle. "Things have certainly been exciting since you arrived, Carlisle."

"I apologize for that, Stefan. I assure you, I'd like nothing better than to gather my family together and be able to leave. If you could just let us by..."

"A newborn - especially an unstable one - does not travel well." Stefan looked at Jasper again, his gaze resting on him longer this time. "Perhaps you should think about leaving her here - just until she's settled down. Her mate would be welcome to stay as well, of course."

"Well, that is very generous of you, Stefan, but I don't think that will be necessary. I'm sure once we find her we can get her settled fairly quickly. If we could just get by?"

Stefan bowed slightly and stepped to one side of the doorway. "Of course. I'll be dispatching Edmond and Marton into the village immediately for damage control. Good hunting, Carlisle."

"Wow," Jasper muttered when they'd gotten out of earshot. "Not very subtle, is he?"

"Bella and her shield are a much sought after commodity, even untested as she is. You yourself are also a well-known talent," Carlisle said shortly. "This way – the window is on the north wall around here."

Jasper started to run, but Carlisle grabbed his arm. "Slowly, Jasper. It is broad daylight and there will be humans about." He glanced pointedly toward the front gate of the castle where the gift shop was located. "It's bad enough that you already ripped the door off the keep on your way in from the tower."

"Bella is out here somewhere," Jasper hissed. "Stark naked. And I'm guessing SHE'S not going slow."

"Bella will not stray too far," Carlisle said, confidence in his voice.

"She's probably halfway to Italy already!" Jasper was becoming agitated.

"Calm down. She won't go anywhere without you."

Jasper looked at him like he'd lost his mind. "Have you not heard ANYTHING I've told you about this whole trip?"

"I've heard everything you've told me, Jasper." Carlisle paused at the wall of the keep and looked up at the empty expanse to where several small windows began thirty feet off the ground. He inhaled deeply, and then turned and looked at the outer castle wall behind them. Crossing over to it, he walked slowly along it, unobtrusively taking in the scents left on the stones, before stopping and looking at Jasper again. "I've also watched you both since you've been back. I'll say it again - she won't go too far without you."

"What, you think this pull of hers is broken? You think it's gone?" Jasper felt excitement build in him. Had he succeeded and not even realized it? Why had she not said something? Unless…maybe it had happened during the night when they were hunting with the family. But Carlisle wouldn't have known of it yet either...

Carlisle was shaking his head, though, and the excitement drained out of Jasper as fast as it had appeared.

"No, I don't think that kind of pull disappears until, well, until the imperative for revenge has been satisfied. I really think she is trapped by that, even if it becomes not so strong over time or if she chooses a new mate. If she even CAN truly choose a new mate."

"Forever," Jasper said dully. Bella had implied as much, telling him of her fear that her pull towards Volterra would always be hanging over them.

Carlisle nodded now, sadness on his face and defeat in his emotions. "Forever. Or until she succeeds. But I also think she has tied herself to you now – more than willingly, I'd say, based on the events of yesterday." Carlisle smiled at his son briefly. "And that is to our advantage now. To YOUR advantage. She's run, yes, but she won't stray too far. She wants AND needs to return to Volterra – to the Volturi – to the revenge she thinks she'll find there. But I think you've managed to stop her blind flight by tying her to you. No, I don't think Bella will leave without you. And as long as she can't convince you to leave WITH her, she'll stick around." An unspoken warning was in those words. "You might have trouble, though, convincing her to go AWAY. Going back to the States, for instance, might prove impossible for you – for her. It's a fine line you have to walk, Jasper, to keep her alive."

"And no way to fix it as long as whoever killed Edward is still alive - or, at least, whoever it is she blames for killing Edward."

"I think so, yes. I could be wrong. I hope I'm wrong, but I don't think I am."

"You knew this earlier on the hunt, didn't you?"

"Yes, I did. I did not want to say anything in front of Emmett. I have not said anything about it in front of any of them." Carlisle looked around the courtyard and Jasper followed his gaze.

"We could be stuck here forever," Jasper whispered, a sick feeling forming inside him. "Or Bella and I could. Does Stefan know this? Is THAT why he made his offer back there?"

Carlisle shrugged. "I've told him very little, merely that we had lost Edward, and in so doing, lost Bella. He might very well have formed his own theories about what is going on. He and Vladimir have been around longer than even Aro, Caius, and Marcus. But Jasper, you needn't worry about being here forever."

Jasper looked at him, the sick feeling growing. "We're trapped, aren't we? Bella and I are trapped - even with her shield to hide us. She can't run away; she can only run closer. Or not run at all and wait for them to come to us..."

Carlisle nodded again.

"You have to leave," Jasper said suddenly. "You all have to leave. Go home and leave us here. You HAVE to." His earlier words to Bella and his thoughts about destroying the Volturi – or at least damaging them enough to distract them from pursuing the Cullens – came back to him, along with the memory of Mstislav and his words. "It's the only way you'll be safe." When she'd told him she loved him in the windmill, he'd begun harboring a fantasy of him and Bella running away somewhere - somewhere safe where they could be together. When she'd accepted those words from him the day before, the fantasy had only grown stronger. Now it disappeared almost like it had never been.

Carlisle reached out and gripped his arm. "Son, we will never be safe. We will all stay together - no matter what happens. I will not be leaving you here."

"But you must! We can damage them and you'll be safe. If I could get Demetri...if I focus - with Bella's shield to help - I can make sure I at least take him out…and probably several others. Then you'll be safe..."

Carlisle laughed, sounding harsh. "You think that hasn't occurred to them? Jasper, you're the military man. You know as well as I do they will just continue to hunt us down, leaving you – or, rather, Bella – for last. They KNOW she has no choice but to come for them. Were you not listening to ME earlier? You'll just end up following them all over the globe - as they follow us - and we'll all end up in the same place together in the end. It's better to figure out a plan TOGETHER first. Come now, we have to find Bella." He looked up at the wall again. "She crossed over here. I think we should do the same. The damage, after all, has already been done." They were out of sight of prying human eyes on this side of the keep, and in a flash he was climbing the wall - so quickly he was almost lost to Jasper's vampire vision. To a human he would have been nothing but a blur - dust, perhaps, stirred up by the slight breeze in the courtyard. Jasper followed him without thought.

As Jasper followed Carlisle's incredibly fast – but still human - progress through the village, his words to Bella from months ago about Carlisle's hunting prowess came back to him. Where Jasper was deliberate when it came to tracking, Carlisle seemed to rely almost on instinct alone, moving much quicker and more confidently than Jasper would have been able to, for all his own experience. After a few minutes of flitting up and down alleys in the small village, Carlisle stopped and turned to Jasper.

"Can you feel her? Are you pulled to her? Can you feel any kind of draw?"

Jasper shook his head slowly. "I can tell she's not far...but nothing very specific. I think her shield interferes with my pull to her. I don't know what it might do on her end, though. She says she can feel a pull to me, too. She says it's as strong as the one pulling her to Italy. I can use it to narrow down where she is, but at that point I'd just have to follow her scent - like you're doing," he whispered, his voice cracking.

Carlisle patted his shoulder sympathetically. "No problem. She seems to just be running around rather aimlessly – but, so far, I don't hear any screaming and we haven't come across any bodies, so I'm feeling fairly optimistic."

"I can tell," Jasper said, almost smiling.

"Yes, well, let's go."

A few seconds later they were in the back garden of one of the village houses, staring silently at the carcass of a large mastiff-type dog.

"Oh, my..." Carlisle said.

"Well, it could be worse – it could've been the owner."

At that moment, the apparent owner slammed open the back door. Still shocked at seeing the drained dog, both vampires jumped. An older woman, dressed in more traditional garb, started yelling at both of them. Jasper didn't speak Romanian, but he didn't need to to know she was pissed.

She wasn't frightened; she was angry. About the dog, he presumed.

Carlisle held up gloved hands to stop her rant and began speaking to her in her own language, using his best 'bedside manner' tone. Jasper attempted to help him out by flooding waves of calm at the woman. It seemed to work.

She calmed down and began conversing with Carlisle, apparently answering his questions. She was still excited but no longer angry - although she did keep gesturing to the dog and waving her hands about quite a bit. After a few minutes, Carlisle reached into his robe and pulled out some money. He started handing her bills, pulling them off of a stack he held in his hand, and continued to do so until she finally closed her hand around them and nodded, apparently satisfied. Turning her back on them, she marched back into the house.

"I take it Bella has been here," Jasper asked.

"Oh, yes," Carlisle said with a snort. "Sparkling naked witch girl appeared out of nowhere, killed her dog, and then disappeared again - not ten minutes ago."

"Great."

"Will she go and hide now that she's fed?" Carlisle asked.

Jasper shook his head slowly. "I think she'll feed more first. I can't imagine her stopping at just one, even if she did feed earlier. The shield takes a lot out of her, and it was as tight as I've ever sensed it back there in the castle." He nudged the carcass with his foot. "Even though it is a big brute of a dog."

"Wonderful." Carlisle made no move to leave the yard.

"Carlisle?" Jasper asked after a moment of silence. "Do you think Bella will be alright?"

Carlisle looked at him, surprised. "What? You mean this? This episode?"

"Episode? Is that what you'd call it?"

"Well, what would YOU call it?"

Jasper just stared at him, not sure how to answer.

Carlisle sighed. "She's young, Jasper - not a newborn, but still very young - and she has had a traumatic life so far. Beyond traumatic. She has not been brought up properly, or cared for, or any of the things that any of us wished for her. She was brought into our world with the promise of eternal love and eternal family, and look what she got instead. Nothing she has done so far has surprised me. I am, however, surprised that YOU are surprised, considering your background."

Jasper nudged the dog again, harder this time, thinking before he answered. "I have more experience with newborns than any of you - this you know," he finally said, and Carlisle nodded. "But creating a vampire for the purpose of building an army, and then destroying that same vampire less than a year later when their usefulness is over... My experience with newborns is very different, Carlisle. Very different. Any erratic behavior like this…well, the vampire in question would have been destroyed and a new one created without a second thought by me. "

Carlisle chuckled a little. "Well, obviously that is not going to happen, Jasper."

"I know that. I just...do you…are you going to still want her to come home with you? With your family? I mean, supposing that it ever becomes possible. I understand if you don't..."

"Enough of that talk, Jasper." Exasperation filled Carlisle's voice, and aggravation and anger were his dominant emotions. "I never thought of you as the dramatic type."

"Carlisle, she attacked your MATE."

Carlisle snorted. "Yes, she did. Jasper, do you seriously think Bella is the first one in the family to take a snap at me or Esme? I realize you all seem to think we have some sort of magical vampire parenting skills, but I assure you that is not the case."

Jasper was shocked. He had actually thought, well... "I always pictured you as the Cleavers of the vampire world, especially when Alice and I first arrived," he admitted. "I've never seen anything to disabuse me of that impression."

Carlisle snorted again. "Please. Things are just more...settled now. Even by the time you'd joined us, they'd become fairly settled. It wasn't always like that. A newborn in the coven always stirs things up."

Jasper thought for a moment, savoring this little piece of information - a secret he'd never known, in a family that had no secrets. For a family with no secrets, it seemed they had many, and he wondered briefly what else Carlisle might be hiding. Before he could pursue that line of thought, however, the sound of screeching and howling came from closer to the edge of town.

"Well," Carlisle said briskly, "I do believe the canine population of this lovely berg has taken a hard enough hit. I've heard her make at least three more kills while we've been standing here chatting, and now she's heading for the woods - presumably to find a hole to crawl into. I think that is our cue to go 'rescue' her and get her back inside."

Jasper shook his head, amazed once again at Carlisle's hidden skills.

"You knew all along."

"What?" the older vampire asked innocently.

"You knew where she's been the whole time we've been chasing her. We could have stopped her at any time." Jasper was more than a little bit aggravated.

"We could have," Carlisle said agreeably. "But sometimes it is better to just let them get it out of their system – something you never needed to do when you were in the business of making newborns."

"How could you be sure she wouldn't kill anybody?'

"I know my daughter, Jasper," Carlisle said softly, his voice full of love. "I may not have sired her, but she is my daughter. No, she needed to run, or else there would have been more biting and fighting back there. Now we can go collect her. And perhaps, if we're lucky, we'll escape bite-free ourselves."


	37. Chapter 37

A/N SM owns the characters. Anything that goes wrong with them in here, though, is my fault.

And hey, there is still time (until May 23) to get an entry in to the ALSL's "We Don't Need No Stinkin' Coven!" Contest. The link for Contest Details is on the Altered Lions and Sacrificial Lambs website. Or try this link (don't forget to remove the spaces., 'dot's, etc.) http://www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/u/2300404/ We_Dont_Need_No_Stinkin_Coven And even if you don't have anything to write, there are a bunch of really great stories, well worth reading, already entered for your enjoyment. Go take a look!

Chapter 37

Jasper was almost jealous of the nearly straight path Carlisle took to Bella. Again, he rarely stopped to locate a trail, although Jasper himself had no problems picking up her scent. But faster than Jasper would have been able to lead them, Carlisle brought them up short in front of a tumbled down shed about a mile outside the village, part of a long-gone farmstead. There was no door on the shed, and another dog carcass lay in front of the opening.

Jasper shook his head. Emmett would never let her forget this...assuming that they ever made it to the point where they could 'look back on this and laugh'.

God, he hoped Emmett would have the chance to mock her. He'd give almost anything for them to be able to reach that point. He hoped Emmett would have an eternity to mock her about dogs, and biting, and anything else he could come up with.

"Bella?" Carlisle asked quietly, stepping toward the shed's opening.

A growl came from the dark within.

Carlisle pushed his hood back, safe now in the shadows of the forest. "I think this is where you come in," he told Jasper. "She'll hopefully respond better to you getting close to her."

Jasper nodded and removed his cloak, letting it fall to the ground. It would only frighten her further, he thought, seeing a vampire approach who was wearing a cloak - even if she recognized him. He ducked his head and entered the shed.

Bella was crouched, naked and dirty, in the corner of the empty shed. "Isabella," he whispered. "It's Jasper."

Bella looked up at him. Golden eyes shone in the dark, replacing the pitch black of earlier. Unlike the girl in the bathroom not even an hour before, this Bella recognized him and knew exactly who he was. Jasper relaxed, thankful for small miracles.

"Jasper?" she whispered. To his surprise, her shield dropped a little bit. Fear, shame, and embarrassment poured over him.

"Yeah, baby, it's me. Will you come out?"

"No."

Okay... "Bella, come on, baby. You don't want to stay in here." Jasper looked around the ruined building. "It's dirty. And it stinks. I think they kept goats in here. Come on, let's go back to the castle and get you cleaned up."

"I can't," she whispered.

"Why not?"

"I'm naked, and the sun's out."

Jasper didn't bother pointed out that both had been true when she'd arrived at the shed a few minutes earlier. "Well, then, luck is on your side because I happen to have brought you your very own Dracula cape, complete with hood. You come on out now, and we'll get it on you, and then we'll go back."

"I don't...they're not going to want me to come back. I bit them, Jasper. I bit Esme...I bit my family...my mother...I bit Rose, too, but..."

"Rose deserved it," Jasper said flatly, cutting her off. "In fact, I may just bite her when we get back, just for good measure."

"Esme didn't deserve it," Bella said softly, her voice full of misery. "Carlisle will never forgive me."

"Carlisle is standing right outside, Bella. He already forgave you."

Bella whimpered, more fear coming from her. Jasper wondered where Brave Bella had gone, and once again he wanted to ask her how she thought she was going to take on the Volturi if she couldn't even face her father. He hated the thought that they'd just have to hope she was having a good day when they pulled into town. That thought led him to the realization that he had no intention of following Carlisle's order that they all stay together. He'd have to put that realization aside until later, though, and focus on the task at hand.

"Bella..." Jasper paused a moment, trying to think how he could word what he wanted to say.

"Bella," Carlisle said from outside, his voice firm. "Enough of this foolishness. You need to come out. Now. Put the robe on, come out, and come home."

Jasper turned to glare at the doorway. This wasn't the way to do things. That would only make Bella more stubborn, talking to her like that...

"Alright," Bella whispered. "Can you get me the robe?" she asked Jasper. Her shield came down even further, and Jasper could feel her reluctance.

"Jasper, come get the robe for Bella," Carlisle said, clearly having no intention of joining them in the shed.

_Coward_, Jasper thought as he backed slowly out of the shed before turning to look at Carlisle.

Carlisle held the robe out to him, eyebrows raised, waiting for Jasper to say something. Jasper decided that, all things considered, he really had nothing to say. He took the robe and re-entered the shed, crossing slowly to where Bella was still crouched, cautious in case she became unglued again. He didn't trust Carlisle's judgment entirely – after all, the man hadn't spent the last three months with Bella, HE had.

"I'm scared," Bella whimpered. Jasper dropped the robe and crouched down next to her. He pulled her onto his lap, and she came willingly, allowing him to hold her tight.

"I know, baby. I'm scared, too. We're all scared."

"I scared you...and them."

"Well, yes, you did scare them - among other things," Jasper said with a little chuckle, able to relax now that he was holding Bella in his arms. "You were, from all accounts, pretty scary."

"I don't want to go back. How can they want me back?" she moaned, hiding her face in his shoulder.

"Isabella...we have to go back. We can't live in a goat shed. And besides..." Jasper had a sudden thought – and it couldn't hurt to try it. "Carlisle says you have to," he reminded her. "He's waiting for us, just outside."

Bingo.

Bella sighed. "Where's the robe?"

Jasper helped her put the robe on, and then led her outside, keeping a tight grip on her hand while they exited the shed. Whether it was to keep her from bolting again or to comfort her – and himself – with the contact, he didn't know or care. They walked over to where Carlisle was waiting. Bella kept her eyes on the ground - as a sign of submissiveness or simple embarrassment, Jasper wasn't sure. The shield had gone back up as soon as they'd stepped out of the shed.

Carlisle looked her over from where he stood but did not approach any closer. He glanced at Jasper, curiosity radiating from him. Jasper assumed he was wondering if Bella was alright, and Jasper nodded slightly. Carlisle pulled out a phone from under his robe and dialed it, turning his back on them while he spoke rapidly into it. Jasper could hear Esme on the other end, but she spoke so softly he couldn't make out what she was saying.

"Yes, we've got her," Carlisle said quietly. "I think we'll stay out here until nightfall – there's no way to get back without being seen at this point, and she made quite a trail through the village." He paused while Esme spoke. "No, nobody was killed. But still...I'm not sure how happy Stefan and Vladimir will be. Yes, if you could talk to them that would be wonderful. Is everything alright there? And you?" Concern flooded his voice and his emotions now. "No, she looks fine. I'm sure she'll be fine. We'll just wait here. Everything will be fine, I promise."

Jasper wondered why Carlisle would make promises he couldn't keep, even if it was just reassuring words for his mate. Now seemed to be the time for truth, no matter how painful. It was advice, Jasper realized, that he would do well to listen to with regards to Bella. He needed to talk to her – alone - as soon as possible, and share everything he'd learned from Carlisle about what exactly was pulling her to Volterra - and the likelihood of her being able to sever it...

Carlisle hung up the phone and turned back to them. "Shall we find somewhere a little better-smelling to wait for sundown?" he asked pleasantly, as if the last hour or so had never happened. He turned and walked slowly into the woods, clearly expecting them to follow him. A few hundred yards away, he seated himself on a fallen tree and waited for them to approach.

"Bella, would you mind talking to me for a bit?" Carlisle asked gently.

Jasper felt Bella tense up next to him. "No...that would be fine..." she said hesitantly.

Jasper pulled her into his side even more tightly. Carlisle glanced at him.

"Jasper can stay if it makes you more comfortable," he said.

"Yes, please."

"Come. Sit by me, daughter."

Bella moved forward hesitantly, seating herself on the log but leaving a good distance between herself and Carlisle. Jasper sat next to her, fighting the urge to place himself between her and Carlisle. They sat there in silence - Carlisle relaxing even more, while Bella became increasingly tense in the growing silence. With her shield up, Jasper had only her body language to go by, and he had no way to try to help her.

To Jasper's surprise, though, about the time he was sure she would snap and either attack one of them or take off running again, Bella slumped against him, dropping her shield again.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

_No magical parenting skill, my ass_, Jasper thought.

"You have nothing to apologize for, Bella," Carlisle said.

Bella looked up now, finally making eye contact with Carlisle. "I don't understand...I attacked your mate...I bit her. I bit Esme..." Guilt was rolling off her in waves. "I don't have any control. I'm going to be a danger to you all if I stay with you..."

Carlisle sighed. "Bella, I can see that we need to clear something up before we can discuss more important, pressing matters." He stood up to remove his robe, carefully folding it and placing it on the log. His gloves and jacket followed, and then his sweater and shirt. Bella stared at him in confusion, and Jasper was also wondering what the hell he was doing by stripping down here in the middle of the forest.

He stepped closer to them and Bella tensed, but just as quickly she relaxed again. "Look," Carlisle said, pointing to two scars on his right forearm, then one on his upper arm, and then another one on his shoulder. "You are not the first family member to have taken a snap at another family member in the throes of a newborn rage."

Her eyes widened as she took the scars in before finally looking up to meet Carlisle's steady gaze. Jasper himself was shocked. He'd seen the scars before, of course, but he'd never asked about them. Carlisle was a very old vampire, and none of them made it to an advanced age without coming into some kind of conflict with others of their kind. It had never occurred to him that it could have been one of his siblings – or worse, Esme – who had inflicted the bite marks.

Jasper ran over the choices in his head. "Edward?" he finally asked. Somehow the thought of Edward biting Carlisle amused him. The thought of Edward biting ANYBODY amused him. Then he pictured Edward's last moments, and was no longer amused. Beside him, Bella whimpered.

Carlisle shook his head, immediately saddened by thoughts of his first son. "No, Edward never bit me. He was more confused than the others when he awoke because of his gift. But because of his gift, he was also able to realize quicker what had happened to him and come to terms with it - at least to the point where he would not attack me. And Esme, well, we knew each other before the change. We'd had a connection, of sorts, and I think that helped when she awoke. And, of course, Edward was there, able to anticipate her moves – most of the time. The one on my shoulder is from her." Carlisle glanced at Jasper, amusement tingeing his emotions.

"Emmett?" Bella asked. Of course the big hulk of a vampire would be her prime suspect. Jasper disagreed with her, though, knowing Emmett's basic nature as well as he did.

"From the moment Emmett awoke, he had only eyes - and thoughts - for Rose," Carlisle said. "The easiest newborn of any I sired - even easier than you, Bella."

That left... "Rose," Jasper said, his voice hardening.

"Yes, Rose," Carlisle's voice was still soft. "Rose - the unhappiest of all my children. The least forgiving. The one who hated – and hates – what happened to her the most. Rose... Esme and I both sport scars from Rose - a fact of which I am sure Esme has reminded her by now. We don't talk about this, you understand? Just as we will never talk about what occurred with you, Bella. There is no need for it – young vampires have little control - we all know this. But I thought it might help matters if you were to know this, Bella. It comes with the territory. Humans have their troubles with raising offspring, and vampires have their own set of issues."

Jasper felt some of the guilt flow away from Bella. There was some still there, but not nearly as much. The fear and embarrassment levels had also dropped.

Carlisle quickly dressed before speaking again. "Now that that is out of the way, Bella, I believe that it is me who owes you an apology."

"I don't understand," Bella said. "You have done nothing, Carlisle. You don't owe me anything."

"Because of me, Bella, you lost your mate and I lost my son," Carlisle said gently.

"Oh, no, Carlisle." Her voice caught, almost as if she were really choking up. "Surely you don't... You can't believe I think that... I never thought that - not for an instant. Never, ever."

"No matter, Bella. It was my foolishness - my blindness - trusting you and Edward to Aro. It was my stupidity for thinking - even for an instant - that there was nothing more behind his invite than a desire to view for himself, first hand, the result of your turning."

Bella continued to be confused. "But it wasn't Aro who killed Edward."

Carlisle looked at her closely. "Nonetheless, Bella, you DO know the Volturi were behind it, regardless of who did the actual killing." She slowly nodded her head. "And the Volturi ARE Aro, Caius, and Marcus. We have all paid dearly for my naiveté - my desire to think the best of people. And so, I apologize, even though nothing I say or do can ever change what has happened to you, or make it better."

"It's alright, Carlisle," she whispered. "I don't blame you."

"Ah, Bella, you are as kind as ever. I have dearly missed that, my child."

Silence descended again, but it was a comfortable silence this time. Jasper could feel that both Bella and Carlisle were relaxed now, and all three of them sat in stillness that only a vampire could achieve as the sun crossed its zenith and headed into the afternoon. Nobody seemed to feel the need to speak now, and it wasn't until the light was waning into the early twilight of winter that Carlisle finally spoke again.

"There is still much we need to discuss, Bella, about what is going on."

"Do we have to, right now?" Bella asked reluctantly.

Carlisle looked at her thoughtfully. "No," he finally said. "Not right now. But soon."

She nodded. "Alright, yes, I understand. Thank you...thank you for letting me wait a bit."

"Not too long," he warned.

"No, not long. I just, I want to..."

"Recover," he said, smiling. "It's been a long day."

"Yes," she whispered.

Again they sat in silence until full darkness fell. Carlisle finally stood up, indicating that they should join him. "I think we can return now. I'm sure the streets will be empty this evening, and we can make our way back unobserved."

Jasper snorted. He highly doubted they'd be unobserved, even if the streets were empty.

Bella stared at them both, clearly reluctant at the thought of returning.

Carlisle looked at her for a moment, and then at Jasper. "Bella," he said, sighing, "I assure you that nobody is going to think any less of you for what happened earlier." He held up a hand to silence her when she started to protest. "But be that as it may, would you feel more comfortable in other accommodations for a little while?"

She nodded quickly, clearly thankful for the offer.

"I'm sure you and Jasper could stay in the tower for a day or two. Stefan and Vladimir could hardly object to that."

Jasper disagreed. He thought it would be better to just take a deep breath and join the family in the suite, but when he opened his mouth to say as much, Carlisle looked at him meaningfully and shook his head.

Alright, clearly Carlisle wanted them to spend some alone time together. Jasper was puzzled for a moment, and then realization dawned. Carlisle wanted Jasper to tell Bella everything.

Jasper sighed. He now understood the human phrase 'getting thrown under the bus'. Well, Carlisle probably thought that Bella would take it better coming from Jasper than she would hearing it from him. And he was probably right. But he would be very, very wrong about what, exactly, Jasper intended to tell her.

Jasper nodded. "The tower. Sounds lovely."


	38. Chapter 38

A/N: SM Owns the characters. Thank you to everybody who reviewed the last chapter!!!!!

Chapter 38

"I want to go. We _need_ to go," Bella told Jasper. She was standing at the window, watching the snow fall in the darkness beyond on their fourth night in the tower.

Jasper stood and joined her at the window, not bothering to pull on any clothing. After the incident in the Cullens' suite a few days earlier, Bella had been uncomfortable staying with them. Uncomfortable and embarrassed. Carlisle had made arrangements for them to stay in the tower room, but his intentions had not been entirely altruistic. He'd expected Jasper to explain _things_ to Bella. Jasper still hadn't decided if Carlisle just thought she'd take it better coming from him or if Carlisle had a hidden cowardly streak.

So here they were in the room at the top of the crumbling tower. Just four mornings ago he and Emmett had been on the roof, throwing rocks into the village, and he'd been thinking that life looked pretty good. Now he was hiding inside with Bella.

It made Jasper feel a bit like a bat, and even more like a stereotypical vampire. He'd wondered aloud if he should buy a cape – instead of wearing the robes they still had from the Romanians - to round out the picture, and it had brought a smile to Bella's face.

He hadn't bought a cape, but he had brought a small metal tub and several buckets of water up the stairs. Emmett had offered to help and Jasper had let him bring the water as far as the base of the steps, but no further.

"_What is that for?" Bella asked from her perch on the sill of the narrow tower window._

"_Your bath. You stink. Like dog. And goat," Jasper grunted, dumping the two buckets into the tub and turning to go._

"_Is that hot water?" she asked, not moving._

_He paused to look at her. "No, and don't even pout. There's a warm bath downstairs in the keep with your name on it."_

"_Not yet," she whispered. "Are you mad?"_

"_Nope. Not a bit. But don't complain about what's not available."_

"_I'm not..."_

"_I know," he said, setting the buckets down and crossing the room to her. He took her face in both his hands and kissed her gently. "Let's get you cleaned up, and then we can...talk."_

_He picked the buckets back up and turned to run down the steps again, but her voice stopped him._

"_Jasper?"_

"_Yes?"_

"_I got the feeling Carlisle WANTED us to take some time alone...away."_

_Jasper hesitated. He didn't want to be having this conversation yet. "Yes..." he admitted slowly, remembering his new 'honesty is the best policy' motto. Well, it had always been his motto - he'd just drifted away from it recently._

"_So, really, I COULD complain about the cold water…because the bath downstairs really DOESN'T have my name on it."_

_Jasper turned to look at her. "Bella, if you want to take a warm bath downstairs, then that's where we will go. I don't care who says what or who implies what, understand? If you want a warm bath, tell me now before I haul any more buckets up here."_

"_Umm…no, I'm good. But thank you for offering."_

"_Thought so," he said quietly and left for more water. After the sixth trip, Emmett met him, holding towels, soap, and clean clothes, which he gratefully accepted._

"_Good luck, brother," Emmett mumbled._

"_Thanks."_

While Bella was bathing, he had acquired several blankets and a fairly clean-looking mattress from down in the keep. He'd hauled them up the ancient staircase and arranged a halfway decent bed for them on the tower floor. They didn't need to sleep, but he'd be damned if he made love to her on a dirty floor. While he'd been doing that, she'd washed her hair and had now moved on to the rest of her body. Watching her bathe herself, standing up in the washtub, had brought a flood of memories to Jasper from his human life. He remembered bathing just like this while growing up. He remembered, even more vaguely, watching a woman bathe like this - a lover, a girlfriend, but he couldn't remember that part. But the sight of a woman bathing this way had definitely stirred his human memories.

The sight of Bella bathing this way had stirred something else.

_Jasper dropped the last armful of bedding on the floor, causing her to look up at him. She paused in her washing, the soapy cloth held still against her arm. He crossed the room slowly, never taking his eyes off her. When he reached her side, he took the cloth from her and continued the job she had started, maintaining eye contact the entire time. He washed her shoulders and arms, and then down her chest and across her stomach. Her legs parted for him as his hands reached lower with the cloth, but instead he spun her around and began again at the top of her back._

"_You're evil," she whispered._

"_And you're dirty," he replied. "And it's not in a good way." He nipped at her now clean shoulder, though, to reassure her of his eventual intentions. "I seem to keep finding you in these situations, Bella. Do you have some deep-seated need for me to clean you up?" He winced as soon as the words were out of his mouth. Could he be __any more callous?_

_She let it slide, though, taking it in the way he'd intended - as playful banter._

"_Well, I don't know, Jasper – you seem pretty good at it. I don't know if I HAVE a deep-seated need for that, but I could certainly see myself developing one…"_

"_Hmmmm....I could handle that, I think," he said, working his way down her back with the cloth. Squatting down, he thoroughly soaped her legs, his hands and the cloth coming close to where she __really wanted them, but never quite close enough._

"_You're a terrible tease, Jasper," she whispered._

"_Mmmhmm…" he murmured, resting his head against her lower back and inhaling her scent. The smell of dog, blood, and goat had been replaced by her own sweet scent, but it was almost overwhelmed by the smell of the soap. Well, that wasn't going to work._

_Before she could react, he stood up, grabbed the last bucket of water, and dumped it over her head to rinse her off._

_Squealing in indignation, she jumped out of the tub and tackled him onto the bed he'd set up for them. "It's a good thing I'm a vampire, otherwise getting ice water dumped on me in an unheated room would make me REALLY angry, Jasper!"_

"_Angry sex can be a lot of fun, Bella," he whispered._

"_I'd rather make love..." she whispered back._

And make love they had. In fact, a good portion of the last three days had been spent wrapped around each other. Jasper could feel how it brought her comfort and made her feel safe. For his part, it reassured him that she wasn't going to run off and leave him behind, especially after what he'd told her that first night after he'd set up their little love nest - after their initial round of love-making.

"_Put your shield up," he instructed her. "Around both of us."_

_She did it almost instantly. He could only tell because of the fuzzy feeling he got when he tried to reach out to the others in the castle. Her feelings, there in the room with him, were clear. He began to talk rapidly and quietly - his mouth so close to her ear that she kept giggling from the tickling sensation. He told her everything Carlisle had told him on their hunt - about the Volturi's experiments; about Chelsea; about their knowledge of what, exactly, was pulling her back to them – or at least, Carlisle's thoughts on the matter. He then questioned her about Marcus' involvement, still not entirely convinced that she hadn't known who her 'friend' had been._

"_I'm not lying, Jasper," she said, and he knew she was sincere. "I didn't know it was him. I couldn't smell, couldn't see – I could barely hear. I did wonder..." she trailed off, "I mean, it makes sense. Carlisle's right - Marcus' loss of his mate and what the...person who visited me...talked about all the time... But I couldn't imagine why one of the brothers would be that nice. I thought he was being my friend."_

"_I'm sorry, Bella. Maybe he was, but I doubt it. From what Carlisle has said, none of them know how to be a friend, Bella. I would not trust his intentions with you at all."_

"_He's the only thing that kept me from going crazy," Bella said. "And you think he was the one who helped me escape... I hate the thought that he was just using me. How can I be sure? He WAS kind, Jasper."_

_Jasper shrugged. "Just means I'll kill him quickly instead of slowly when the time comes," he whispered, dropping his voice even lower. "But Caius? I'll kill him slowly for what he had Chelsea do and for what he did to you. To Edward."_

"_I will kill Caius," she corrected him._

_Jasper didn't bother to correct her. He had no intention of letting her fight at all, not unless it was absolutely necessary._

_She was enraged when he told her that Carlisle had no intention of 'letting' them continue on to Italy and that he __insisted they stay together - as a family - for safety. He had to restrain her on the ground, his hand over her mouth, until she calmed down enough to talk. "Quiet - no one must hear us," he whispered in her ear before releasing her mouth._

"_There is no 'safety', even if we stay together," she whispered almost silently in his ear. "We're only bringing more danger to them. I'M bringing more danger - I don't see why Carlisle can't see that."_

"_I agree," he said just as quietly, nodding his head. "But we must plan a bit more before we leave. We need to practice with your shield, and we can use the others' presence to do so." He'd been thinking a lot earlier that day as they'd sat in the woods, waiting for the sun to set, and he thought he might just have a plan. It had been a pain in the ass to try to plan anything for fear of triggering a vision with Alice. But sixty years spent with her had not been for nothing. "I think...I think we MIGHT be able to do what we need to do in Volterra AND get back out again, Bella."_

"_Really?" she said, excited._

_He nodded. "Yes. I'm going to tell you now, while your shield is up, and you CAN'T think of it at all whenever you drop your shield. Alice must not see any plans we make or she'll tell Carlisle. In fact, it's best if you keep your shield up all the time until we leave..."_

_Bella nodded in understanding._

"_Alright, here it is - I think it would not be unlikely – maybe - that the Volturi have grown lazy through the centuries. I mean, they have all these guard members with powers, but I'm betting they've come to rely a little too much on them. I'm also willing to bet they'll let us in if we just show up..."_

"_But they know about my shield. I don't think they'll just let us in, that would be stupid of them." Bella protested._

"_That occurred to me too, Bella, but I think they WILL let us in. I think Aro's curiosity will work against him. He wants you more than he fears you, and I bet he wants ME, too. If we both show up - together, alone – it will be too much for him. And just think – I bet they had Chelsea have a go at you, too, and I bet she was one of the ones you heard talking while your head was in the box. So..."_

_Her eyes widened and she drew back from him. "So they won't know - they might think it WORKED and that we're bound to THEM somehow! Do you really think they'd believe that?"_

_Jasper nodded. "I think they might – or, at least, Aro might. He'll take risks that he shouldn't in the hope that he'll get us. Either he will or Caius will. Caius will probably hope that even if Chelsea hadn't been successful earlier, maybe she'll be more successful now – after all, he has to know that actually touching us – Alice and me – had some sort of effect. And having us both there within reach…well, he'll think he can use Chelsea to turn us to them and God only knows what else. No, I think if we show up together, they'll let us in. And by the time they realize how strong your shield is and they realize we're NOT there to sign up, it'll be too late."_

_She nodded again, more slowly this time. "Yes, I can see that happening. But I can't imagine us coming out of that chamber except as a pile of ashes."_

_Neither could he, but Jasper wasn't going to say that. He needed to think positively. He needed to believe there was hope._

"_I don't know, Bella. They'll be curious…and I'll be fast. They're old and lazy, hiding behind their talent. I'll take out Demetri first because he's the biggest threat to the Cullens - him and his tracking __ability. Jane and her freaky twin next because they're the next most dangerous from all accounts. That would REALLY even the playing field."_

"_Don't forget Chelsea."_

"_I won't. With those four out of the way, the Cullens should be a lot safer - at least for a while. It will at least give Carlisle time to come up with a long-term plan."_

"_What about Aro, Caius, and...Marcus?"_

_Jasper hesitated. Here is where his own plan sort of fell apart - at least the bit about them both making it out __alive._

"_Aro? No way - he's got a shield of his own and I'm not sure how YOUR ability would affect HERS. She actually deflects physical attacks - not a good strategic risk for us to take. Aro's ability is hardly one that we need to worry about in the middle of a battle." He hesitated once more before speaking again._

"_Bella, you do understand that it was not actually Aro, Marcus, OR Caius who killed Edward, right? Carlisle said he recognized none of the scents at the site of the fight. It was probably just a group of thugs that Caius pulled from the lower guard – I'm sure the Volturi keep several on hand for just such occasions. They've probably long since been turned to ash."_

_Bella nodded slowly._

"_So...you realize there is no way that you are going to be able to destroy those who destroyed your mate?"_

_She nodded even more hesitantly. "But...the pull...how can we break it? What is it that's pulling me there?"_

_Jasper shrugged. "Bella, Victoria thought Edward killed James - she was clearly being pulled to Edward, and YOU, in her need for revenge. But it was Emmett and I who killed James. To be honest, I don't think there is any way to know for sure what - or who - is pulling you back toward Volterra." The thought made him shudder_. _Would he have to just keep on killing people until she yelled 'clear!'? THAT was a daunting thought, even for him. "We're just assuming you blame the brothers - or at least one of them - but that's just it – it's an assumption on my part…and on Carlisle's part. I have to assume that it will take killing one – or all – to break that pull. I'm going for Caius next, since he seems to be the most likely target."_

"_I'M going for Caius," she corrected him again._

"_YOU need to keep that damn shield up because we don't know what other tricks they have up their sleeves. Time will be IMPORTANT. I feel pretty confident that I can take out those first four. Probably none of them - except Demetri - have much actual fighting experience." _I hope_, he added to himself. "I can do that before any of the others react, I think. They'll be confused, remember, because their powers won't be working. Remember how confused I was at first? Disoriented..." He was nodding to himself, even more pleased with his plan now that he was able to hear it out loud._

"_And then the Cullens will be safe," she restated, looking at him, understanding what wasn't being said._

"_Yes."_

"_Alright. I like it. Let's go."_

_He laughed and pulled her to him. "Not yet. First, we practice some more with that shield of yours __while we've got a castle full of guinea pigs."_

_And practice they did. She'd kept her shield around them both and he'd practiced trying to influence others from within it. Anyone venturing forth outside of the castle was fair game, and the two of them would watch from the window while Jasper tried to influence their emotions. He could barely feel the others, no matter how hard he tried. But he was soon able to project, albeit weakly, through the shield._

_It also didn't take long for the others to figure out what was going on, and they stopped going outside. It was trickier to find them inside the building. Bella had to let him out of her shield so he could pinpoint the location of his intended victim based on the emotions they were emitting, all the while making sure to NOT think about what they were really up to. Then she would engulf him again, and he'd start projecting. He thought it would be unfair to just project on their hosts, so he made sure he spread the love around._

_Literally, in some cases. Emmett could thank him later, although part of him hated doing something that Rosalie benefited from._

_In between practicing, he and Bella would make love, sometimes almost frantically - the knowledge of what was coming making them desperate. He also grilled Bella for anything she could remember about her two visits to the Volturi, although memories from her first visit, when she was still human, were almost non-existent._

_The downside to all their various activities was that Bella was starving. Apparently Carlisle anticipated this, though, because not too long after sundown of the second day, there was a commotion beneath them on the stairs, followed by a lot of cursing by Emmett and bleating of panicked deer. A moment later, two panicked bucks __burst into the tower room, ricocheting off the walls and bellowing. Bella was on hers in an instant, while Jasper was close behind, taking down the other one. He only drank a little, though, before offering the rest to Bella. She didn't hesitate in ripping the carcass out of his hands._

"_You're welcome," Emmett's voice drifted up to them from the courtyard._

_As a 'Thank You', Jasper tossed both carcasses out the window for him to deal with. They landed with a satisfying and slightly explosive 'thud' on the cobblestones below. He saw with pleasure that it was Rosalie who appeared a few minutes later to take care of the clean up. He sent her a wave of guilt and remorse for good measure, still feeling a little vindictive for her earlier part in the 'Bella Blow-up'. She responded by flipping him off, not even bothering to look up at the tower._

_The whole scene repeated itself on both the third and fourth night. He wondered how long the rest of the family – and their hosts – would continue to tolerate their presence in the tower, but in the pre-dawn hours of their fourth day in the tower, Bella's decision made that a moot point._

"We do?" he asked, knowing the answer. If she was ready, then he was ready. He led her back over to the mattress, pulling her down beside him.

"We do," she nodded decisively, not protesting his removal of her from the window. "Hiding away in this tower isn't doing anything. I need to finish it. I'm not going to be able to do anything until I do. I can't...I can't..." She let him push her down until he was lying beside her, still not fighting it.

Jasper felt the panic rising in her, and he rolled over onto his left side so that his weight was resting partially on her. He reached over her and grabbed her hip with his right hand, pulling her towards him. She calmed instantly at the increased contact.

"If you say it's time to go, it's time to go," he reassured her. "I think we've practiced plenty. I think I've done as much as I can, working through your shield. It's not going to get any better than it is now."

"You agree with me?" she asked, almost sounding shocked. Jasper realized that in spite of the fact that he'd constantly reassured her over the past few days that he had no intention of keeping her here against her will, just because Carlisle expected him to, she hadn't believed him - not fully. He thought he'd feel hurt by her lack of faith, but he found that he wasn't. He realized Carlisle might have made an error in judgment - if Carlisle had been the one to forbid Bella from leaving, Bella might indeed have stayed put because her need to obey her father figure and coven leader was so strong. Instead he'd left it to Jasper to 'convince' her of what was right.

And why the hell was Carlisle convinced that hanging out here with the Dracula brothers was so much better than going to Italy and meeting things head on? He understood the whole 'pick your battle ground', but he just found it hard to believe that Carlisle was willing to risk his whole family on the strength of Bella's shield. Frankly, he personally didn't think her shield was that strong. Well, it was a moot point now. He'd just agreed that they should leave, and he was sticking by that decision.

"Yes," he said, nodding. "I agree with you."

"You do?" she asked excitedly. She turned on her right side slightly, causing Jasper to slide off her. He was disappointed until she hooked her left leg over his hip and pulled him back closely to her.

"Mmmhmm…" he murmured, nuzzling against her neck. "I do." He moved down her collar bone towards her breasts and brought his free hand up her back, stroking her gently.

"Mmmmm…" she began to purr. "Maybe we should celebrate first?"

"Celebrate what?"

"Agreeing…"

"I'd love to," he said, his own purr building deep in his chest. His hand traveled down her back again to cup her ass, and he pulled her closer, preparing to slide into her. He could tell by her scent alone that she was already wet and ready for him. She always was. He absorbed the lust coming off her now and mixed it with his own, surrounding them with it and trusting in her shield to keep the resulting mix confined to their tower. This time it was all about them - not practicing with her damn shield. He quickly slid into her, causing her to gasp at the suddenness of it.

"HEY, LOVEBIRDS!" came a shout from below them in the tower, at the base of the stairs.

Emmett.

Again.

It was like a recurring dream. Or nightmare. Or worse, since those were both now impossible for Jasper. It was a habit - one that he would gladly break Emmett of, if given the chance.

"You need to get down here. NOW!" Emmett continued.

"Fuck," Jasper muttered into Bella's neck, stilling his movements but not pulling out of her.

"'Fraid not, brother!" Emmett yelled cheerfully. "Not now. You need to get down here."

This whole scene was too much like the one just a few mornings earlier. "Why?" Jasper muttered, and he looked so much like a sullen child that Bella laughed.

"Carlisle says, 'Put on your big boy pants and get your ass down here'. You, too, Bella."

Jasper rolled his eyes. He doubted Carlisle had said it quite in that way. On the other hand, perhaps spending half a year in Emmett's company had changed the older vampire. Jasper hoped not - he'd always liked Carlisle, and the thought of Emmett warping him made him shudder. Yet another reason he and Bella needed to survive the encounter in Italy and go home, he thought. Carlisle shouldn't be left alone with only Emmett for male companionship.

"I hate to leave things like this," Jasper murmured to Bella.

"She'll get over it!" Emmett yelled.

Bella laughed again, and Jasper was glad to hear the sound, especially since it involved their family members.

"We need to go down and see what they want," she said, pushing the blankets aside and searching for clothing. She leaned in and whispered almost silently in his ear "We can finish this on the road."

"I suppose so," Jasper grumbled. "Be right down!" he hollered, knowing Emmett would hear him regardless if he yelled or whispered.

"I'll be waiting," Emmett said, his voice returning to normal volume.

A few moments later, Jasper and Bella scrambled down the broken stones to where Emmett was waiting for them.

"Hi, Emmett," Bella said shyly.

"Hey, Bella," Emmett said, opening his arms for her.

After a moment's hesitation, Bella stepped towards him and allowed him to hug her. After another moment, she returned it, squeezing him tightly.

Jasper could tell all was well between the two of them. It was a good start. Of course, Bella hadn't bitten Emmett, but she HAD bitten his mate, so the fact that Emmett apparently held no grudges in that area was a good thing.

Emmett pulled back from Bella after a moment, wrinkling his nose. "Geez, little sister, you smell more like Jasper than Jasper does."

Bella smacked him on the arm hard enough to make him wince. "Well, the tower suite doesn't come with running water. I don't mind smelling like Jasper in the least – and you don't need to be worrying about what I smell like."

Jasper wanted to clap. Bella appeared to want to forgive and forget, but she was also clearly drawing a line on what she considered acceptable territory for discussion. Jasper cocked an eyebrow at Emmett, daring him to say anything else on the subject. Emmett just shrugged and grinned. In spite of what everyone - including Jasper - seemed to think about him, he actually did know when to shut up.

"So, what's so damn important that you came looking for us?" Jasper asked him.

"Carlisle requested that everyone meet in the, um, 'throne room'. He wouldn't tell me anything – he just told ME to make sure you two were there."

Jasper snorted. Carlisle was probably concerned about how Bella would have reacted to any of the women's presence. He was fairly sure there was nothing to worry about on that front – Bella had been very contrite and sorry for her attack. And Carlisle had made it very clear that they – or Esme, at least - did not hold it against her. Carlisle could include Rose in that, but Jasper wouldn't believe THAT until he saw it. Or felt it. On the other hand, he certainly would not have been willing to take the chance of someone getting hurt if he'd been in Carlisle's position.

"Well, then, let's go." He glanced at Bella, a question in his eyes. She knew he was asking if she was ready, and she nodded slightly. "Keep your shield up," he mouthed silently to her. Carlisle's request was very odd. Jasper couldn't imagine why he would want the family's second reunion to take place under the prying eyes of the Romanians, especially considering recent events. But what if...what if Alice had managed to get a glimpse of their tower-made plans after all? Would Carlisle call them out about it in front of everybody? Jasper couldn't imagine that happening either. The whole situation put him on edge, and he struggled to keep his own nervousness from upsetting Bella.

They were the last ones to enter. Stefan and Vladimir were sitting on their 'thrones', the other three Romanians standing off to one side. The Cullens stood on the other side, and Emmett crossed the room quickly to join them. Jasper followed more slowly, with Bella trailing behind him and holding tightly to his hand.

"Enjoying our tower?" Stephan asked Jasper, a smirk trying to break through his perpetual frown.

"You've been scaring the villagers with the noises you're making up there, not to mention the trouble you've caused with all the other games you've been playing," Vladimir said sourly.

"Oh, don't be so disagreeable, Vlad," Stefan scolded his brother. "Surely even you remember what it was like to have a new mate. Besides, think of the new crop of peasants that will be birthed a few months from now, after those emotions the empath here was putting out a few nights ago - before his shield figured out how to control herself a little better. As bothersome as it was to us, you can't argue with the side effects down in the town."

The Romanians all chuckled, and Carlisle looked at Jasper and Bella thoughtfully. Jasper hadn't mentioned to him what he was going to attempt with Bella, and he hadn't even been sure how successful they'd been until he'd heard Stefan's words. He couldn't stop a smirk from appearing. And surely, if she could keep his power in, she could keep OTHERS' powers out, protecting them both. They'd had no way of testing that, though. The only other talented vampire in the castle was Alice, and even though she couldn't see Bella's or Jasper's future when Bella's shield was up - and both she and Carlisle were sure it was because of the shield - they had no way of knowing if it was because Bella was shielding Jasper, too, or because his future was firmly tied to hers now. There'd be no way for them to test it any more, either, since he still had every intention of sneaking out as soon as possible.

"Well, Carlisle," Vladimir said, sending a final glare to Jasper and Bella before turning to the blond vampire, "we're all here. What is so damn important?"

Carlisle looked at Alice. "Alice has had a vision. It appears that you are going to have more visitors here, Stefan and Vladimir. The Volturi are on their way."


	39. Chapter 39

A/N SM owns the characters.

Chapter 39

Chaos erupted in the room. Jasper's instinctive first reaction was to protect Bella. He grabbed her and pulled her to him, holding her tightly with both arms, almost before he'd realized it. Part of him expected her to try to bolt - or bite him - when he restrained her, but instead she wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her head in his chest. He began to think that perhaps she was not quite as ready to follow through with her plans of revenge as she had made out.

If so, it was a little late now. Apparently they wouldn't need to go to Italy, since Italy was coming to them. His mind was furiously running through tactical options, and he almost missed what was being said around him.

"Here? HERE?" Vladimir was yelling. "Why are they coming here? We've done NOTHING to bring them here!" He spun on Carlisle, flinging his hand out and pointing an accusing finger at the other vampire. "It is YOU who brought them here - you and this freak show of a coven you've built. I knew we should have turned you away when you first showed up on our doorstep!"

"Don't be stupid, Vladimir," Stefan hissed, and he sounded almost triumphant. "Don't you see? This is our chance!"

"Our chance?" Vladimir hissed back. "Do you forget who Aro will be bringing with him?" He spun on Alice and advanced menacingly on her. Old habits made Jasper step between them, dragging Bella with him, and he growled at the ancient vampire.

"Calm down, Empath," Vladimir hissed. "I mean no harm to your...whatever she is to you," he glanced between Bella and Alice, "I only want to question the Oracle."

Jasper relaxed his stance a bit but did not move from his position.

"Did you see who is coming, Oracle? Did you see who Aro is bringing with him?"

"His brothers," Alice said. "Demetri. Felix. The woman, Chelsea. Five male guard members I don't recognize. And the twins. I see them arriving at night. There is snow on the ground and the moon is full - or almost full." She glanced at Carlisle, and then Jasper, when she said this. "I see nothing after that."

"Argh!" Vladimir shouted, turning on Stefan. "You see! He brings the witch twins with him! The rest, perhaps, we could handle - but not those two little abominations."

Stefan was watching Bella, and he raised a hand to his brother to stop his rant. "Be at ease, brother, for we have our own little surprise, don't we?" he eyed Bella speculatively.

Jasper growled again. "'WE' have NOTHING!" he snarled. "Bella belongs to NO ONE. The Volturi already made the mistake of thinking that once."

"You can't argue that Volterra was where you two were headed when you stopped here. You, Empath, can't argue that her odds of success in her search for revenge are much better standing here - with us. And we, perhaps, can finally have our own revenge against our brothers for the destruction they rained down on us so long ago."

Indeed, Jasper couldn't disagree with any of that. In theory. But it was happening so fast. He needed time to think and to talk to Bella to see what she wanted to do. He needed more information.

Around them, people were still talking loudly and excitedly, still arguing about what to do. The general consensus seemed to be to run, but Alice kept shaking her head stubbornly. Jasper grabbed Alice with one hand and Bella with the other and dragged them both off to the side, away from the arguing group.

He turned to Bella. "Drop your shield," he commanded. "I need her to be able to see the both of us."

Bella instantly dropped her shield and Jasper was assaulted by the emotions in the room - fear, excitement, anticipation, and more fear. He shook his head, trying to clear it, and then dropped Bella's hand. He grabbed Alice's face gently, sending waves of calm at her. She instantly relaxed. Bella moved closer to him so that she was pressed against his side, putting her arms back around his waist and holding him tight.

"Alice," he said soothingly. "I need you to look for me. Can you do that? Please?"

Alice nodded. Jasper could still feel how scared and upset she was, in spite of him trying to calm her down. "Alright, listen now – let's take this slow like we used to, remember? Can you do that for me?"

She nodded again. Part of Jasper's brain registered the fact that the rest of the room had fallen quiet, everybody watching them. Stefan had started to move closer, but Carlisle put out a hand to restrain him. It certainly helped Jasper that the emotions had calmed at the same time the voices had fallen silent.

"What, exactly, did you see? Start with the beginning of the vision, Alice."

"They followed us to London. They must have just arrived there – that's what I saw. They must have made their decisions when they got there and found us gone."

"Have you seen them hunting for you all this time?"

Alice nodded a little hesitantly. "Nothing clearly - just...bits and pieces of them following Demetri. He went out ahead of them and they followed. It took them a while to make it to England...I don't know why. There was never anything definite until just now, an hour or so ago..."

Jasper nodded. "Alright. They got to London..."

"They went to Carlisle's house and found it empty, but they knew we'd all been there by our scents."

"Except me," Jasper said.

She shook her head. "No, maybe not... I took some of your clothes with us...everywhere we went. I rubbed them on seats near me, on the bed..." she trailed off, looking embarrassed. "I don't see them questioning it. They expect you to be with us. I thought if I made it look like we were still...together...that they might question Chelsea's success."

"Good thinking," Jasper said approvingly, ignoring the faint rumble of a growl he felt from Bella, who managed to somehow press up against his side even tighter. He removed one hand from Alice, though, to stroke Bella's hair, and she instantly calmed again. "So, what happened when they got to England and found you gone?"

"They got angry. Caius wanted to come straight after us, but Aro wanted to return to Volterra to collect Marcus first."

"Could you tell why?"

"No... There are still too many things running through his head, I think, but he definitely wanted to get Marcus before coming after us. Caius kept saying that Marcus was worthless and that it was a waste of time to fetch him. Aro told him that Marcus would be necessary if they were to salvage anything at all from the situation." Alice stopped talking.

Jasper considered this bit of information. He'd have to ask Carlisle about that. "Alright, then what?"

"Aro won. They're going back to Volterra. I see them getting Marcus. I see Demetri telling them the direction he senses us in. I see the brothers coming to the conclusion that we are here - in Romania." She took a deep breath and released it shakily. "I see him-Aro-becoming infuriated." Her eyes darted over to the Romanians, then back to Jasper, before dropping to the ground. "I see him screaming that Carlisle has clearly become a traitor and is colluding with traitors. He says Caius is right - it is time to get rid of us." Her voice dropped until she was almost whispering. "I see them coming here..."

"And?" Jasper asked, sounding harsher than he intended.

"And I see them killing us all. They leave me until last, hoping I'll change my mind and join them. Then it all goes black." She looked up at Jasper again, almost glaring at him. "That is what happens if you leave like you're intending to do and go to Italy."

Jasper took a step back and Bella followed him, refusing to break contact. Evidently he and Bella had not been so clever with hiding their plans. A glance at the shocked look on Carlisle's face told him that Alice had not shared this bit of information with him earlier. The Cullen patriarch opened his mouth, but Jasper held up a hand to silence him. To his surprise, Carlisle complied.

Jasper thought for a moment, and then stepped back to Alice. "Alright, what happens if Bella and I leave right now and attempt to intercept them on the road?" Esme started to protest, but Jasper shot her a look that made her quiet instantly. He then turned his mind to concentrate on the decision to leave now, taking Bella, and searching out the Volturi before they made it to Romania - assuming Bella's pull could take them to an actual person and not just a location. Jasper shoved that thought away – any type of doubt would skew Alice's visions.

Alice's eyes unfocused. After a few moments, when she had not come back to them, Jasper began to wonder what exactly she was seeing. They'd done this thousands of times through the decades, and it usually did not take her this long to latch on to what she needed. He pushed more calm at her, hoping it would help, and then returned to thinking about his decision. A glance at Bella made him wonder for a moment – was she thinking of doing something else entirely? Was that what was causing Alice to take so long? Perhaps he should have explained how this worked before he started.

Bella felt him looking at her and looked up at him, smiling. "I'm keeping my mind blank," she said quietly, as if she could read his mind. "I thought that would help things."

He nodded approvingly. "It should," he whispered back, "or…just think about how you will stay with me wherever I go."

She nodded to show she understood, and they both turned to watch Alice again.

Finally, after what felt like an hour - though it had only been a few minutes - Alice's eyes came back into focus. "You take out several of the guard before they overwhelm you both and kill you. Then they continue here and we still all die. I saw several different encounters with them - you must have been changing your mind about who you would kill first..."

Jasper nodded.

"It doesn't matter," Alice said bluntly. "You both die in the end. Then the rest of us die anyway."

"What if you run as soon as we leave?"

Alice shrugged. "I checked that, too, because I knew you would ask. It doesn't matter where we run. It doesn't matter if you kill Demetri first. They always find us in the end. Demetri is not Aro's only tracker – just the best one he has. He has two more who are at least as good - if not better - than James was. The best scenario I could see gives us another seven years, and we spend most of it on a small island off of Antarctica, eating sea mammals." She shuddered a little bit.

Jasper sighed, defeated. "And if we stay here with you?"

"They arrive at the castle. I see us all in the hall here, just like in the other visions, and then everything goes blank." She looked pointedly at Bella when she said this. "Blank - just like you and Bella have been blank, hidden by her shield. I see nothing beyond this, which can mean several things - we die; they die; we all die; or so much remains up in the air after they arrive that our future after that is too unclear for me to see. It is, however, our best hope."

"They know we are here," she continued. "Demetri brings them to us. They do NOT know how many of us are here - Demetri only knows me, Carlisle, and Esme. They are guessing you, Emmett, and Rosalie are with us, since those scents were at the house in England. They have NO idea Bella is with us. They intend to start searching for her as soon as they are done with us."

"So, Marcus has said nothing to his brothers about his part in helping her escape?" Carlisle asked, stepping forward and speaking now that he could see Jasper was done.

"We don't know that for sure, Carlisle," Jasper corrected him, stepping back from Alice and putting his arms around Bella again. "Bella still isn't sure about that, even when I suggested it to her."

"I think it's a safe assumption," Carlisle said. "What do you think, Bella?"

Bella nodded her head but didn't speak.

Carlisle looked between Jasper and Bella. "Marcus," he said again. "As I told you earlier, whether she knew it or not, it was Marcus behind her 'escape'. It was Marcus who kept her company. The story told to her of love lost, love stolen - that is Marcus' story. It was Marcus who sent Demetri and Jane to destroy the pilot, Antoine - this we DO know for sure. Antoine, who had flown Bella away from where she had been kept and had tossed her out over Kamchatka. Only one of the brothers could have hidden something from Aro – none of the guard can refuse his touch - and Alice has seen Marcus refusing to touch Aro on several occasions in the last few months. He is clearly hiding something from his brother. Clearly, Aro thinks Marcus could hide no secrets worth learning." He looked at Bella speculatively. "I do not pretend to know the reasons behind Marcus' actions, but I have some guesses. I DO know that perhaps Aro has made a bit of an error in underestimating his brother."

"I didn't know," Bella whispered, repeating her words from days earlier in the tower. "I told you. I didn't lie. I couldn't tell who it was. I couldn't see anything. I couldn't smell anything except the scent of the box and the bag over my head. And his voice was muffled. I didn't lie to you, Jasper." This last part came out as a barely audible whisper.

Jasper instantly felt guilty. "Of course you didn't, babe," he said, pulling her closer to him. "We already went over this. I believe you."

"I don't know why you would. It's not like I've done much to make anyone think I'm worth trusting."

"Don't, Bella - don't say that. Look, we're past all this. We need to figure out what we're going to do now. Hey, look at it this way – they're saving us a trip by coming to US like this. And we have surprise on our side because they certainly aren't expecting YOU to be here with us. Stefan is right – this may be our chance."

"OUR chance?" Rose said loudly, stepping forward.

"OUR chance?" she asked again. "What makes you think WE need a chance for anything? What WE need to do," she looked at Emmett when she said this, "is LEAVE!"

"We're not leaving family behind. Besides, didn't you just hear what Alice said?" Emmett told her, disgust clear in his voice.

"I'm not suggesting we do!" she replied, clearly aggravated. "We ALL need to leave – including Jasper and Bella."

"I thought you were tired of running and hiding? And Alice said it doesn't work anyway – you gonna start betting against Alice now? That, babe, is just plain old wishful thinking. And I, for one, sure as hell don't want to spend my last few years on earth sucking on penguins," Emmett told her. "And if we don't make a stand, that is exactly what we'll be doing." He looked to Carlisle as he said this.

Carlisle nodded slowly. "Emmett's right. This has been building for years. Decades. Edward's death, Bella's kidnapping - it was just the beginning. Whichever of them was behind it, it started something that isn't going to stop until WE stop it - or until they've destroyed us all." He looked at Stefan and Vladimir, both of whom had fallen silent. Stefan was nodding enthusiastically, but Vladimir looked as if he was still considering fleeing out the nearest window.

"Are you suggesting we fight?" Esme asked, turning to her mate in dismay.

"Not necessarily," Carlisle said. "I certainly don't want anybody hurt. But if we flee, they'll only hunt us down, as Alice has seen. They've obviously decided to confront us. We would do well to meet them here, where we have SOME help at least." He looked pointedly at Stefan when he said this. Stefan nodded slowly.

"Yes," the ancient vampire said. "Yes, we'll stand with you. Nobody here has broken any of their 'rules'. For a thousand years we have followed their 'rules', even though we disagree with them. Your coven has broken no rules and yet you have clearly been wronged by them. Aro overreaches himself this time." He looked at his brother and the others of his coven, and they all nodded - Vladimir with some reluctance, the three younger members more enthusiastically.

Carlisle looked at his family members. Jasper could tell he had no intention of doing anything that didn't have everyone behind it, no matter how much he felt it was the best way to go.

He looked at Jasper and Bella first. Jasper nodded, and he could feel Bella nod, though she never lifted her head away from where she was still burrowed into his chest. The rest of the Cullens nodded, too, as he looked at them one by one.

"Alright, then. Jasper?"

"Yes, sir?" Jasper asked, looking up at Carlisle from where he'd been whispering reassurances into Bella's hair. He continued to stroke her back as he listened to Carlisle.

"I think we need to get together and come up with some sort of plan. Alice says we have until the full moon? That means, what, about seven days or so?" He looked at the little vampire for confirmation and she nodded.

"Assuming what I see is them arriving with THIS full moon. There will be snow on the ground and full moons for several months this winter - there is no way to make sure that it is this full moon."

Jasper swung his head to look at her. "So you're NOT sure it's this month that they arrive? It could be the next moon, or the next, or the next?"

Alice shrugged. "You KNOW how this works, Jasper," she admonished him. "I am making the assumption that it is THIS month because if it were any further out, too many other decisions would have been made that would change their decision to come here."

Jasper nodded. "Alright. You're right, of course. That's a safe assumption, at this point. Alright, Carlisle, we'll make our plans. But Bella needs to feed first. I'm going to take her hunting, and then we'll come back and talk."

Carlisle nodded. "Alright, then, we should probably all go hunt. If it is still snowing, we could probably leave now, rather than wait until nightfall..."

"Try to refrain from eating the villagers' livestock," Vladimir said with a sneer.

"Or their dogs," Stefan added, laughing.

To Jasper's delight, Bella let go of him long enough to flip off the Romanians. This only made Stefan laugh harder. Clearly Bella was feeling better. And the thought of confronting his brothers seemed to have made Stefan downright cheerful.

All the Cullens headed out of the castle through the tunnel entrance. Bella didn't speak, but after they'd entered the tunnel she dropped Jasper's hand and moved ahead of him to walk behind Esme. Esme turned to look at her and smiled. Bella smiled hesitantly back, and Jasper could feel forgiveness, contentment, and happiness come from both of them. After a moment, Esme stopped and pulled Bella up beside her, the two women small enough to walk side by side in the passage despite its narrow width.

Well, that was a lot easier than he'd anticipated, he thought to himself. He'd known it would be from Esme's standpoint, but he hadn't been so sure about it from Bella's standpoint – she was still carrying a lot of guilt about the whole incident. That just left Rose. Difficult but not impossible - at least, he didn't think it would be impossible. When he sent out feelers towards Rose further up in the tunnel, he was met with such a soup of feelings that he quickly withdrew, deciding to tackle it later.

When they reached the empty building that hid the entrance to the tunnel, the Cullens stood around, looking awkwardly at each other for a moment.

"Well," Carlisle said finally. "Jasper, why don't you and Bella go out east of town; Esme, Alice, and I can go south, and Emmett - you and Rose go north, alright?"

Jasper stared at him for a moment before nodding. Grabbing Bella's hand, he slipped out the door with her and they flitted quickly through town, relying on streets emptied by heavy snowfall to hide their passing.

Once they entered the forest, Jasper slowed to a walk, still holding Bella's hand.

"What are you grumbling about?" Bella asked, referring to the sub-vocal noises Jasper had been making since they'd left the rest of the family behind.

"I'd forgotten," Jasper grunted, stopping completely to turn slowly and take in the scents in the air around them.

"Forgotten what?" she asked curiously.

"What it was like living in a large coven. Family," he corrected himself.

"I don't understand..."

"'You hunt here; we'll hunt there,'" he said, imitating Carlisle's voice perfectly. "'Do this; do that. Don't do this; don't do that. We're moving here; we're moving there.' You know, the past few months have been pretty nice, even if it has consisted of following you on your suicide mission."

Bella winced. "Why do you keep calling it that now?"

Jasper shrugged. "What should I call it? Your 'mission of mindless revenge that is bound to end in the destruction of the only thing I care about'? I just don't feel like sugar-coating it anymore, Bella."

"I thought you were with me!" she said, yanking her hand away. "If you've changed your mind, why don't you just leave and take your family with you? I'm sure most of them would be more than happy to leave with you. It sure seems like Rosalie doesn't want to be here."

Jasper reached out, grabbed her hand back, and dragged her back to him. She struggled a bit with him, but he was stronger and refused to let go.

"Because, Isabella, even ignoring everything Alice just told us," he said, his lips close to hers, "I may think it's a suicide mission, but I'm going to make sure it turns out differently. I'll see to it that you get your revenge so we can get on with OUR life, Bella. You've accepted me as your lover, but I want more. I want to be your mate, and I can't do that with Edward's shadow hanging over you like it is. We'll take care of this revenge together, and then you'll be mine and only mine." He pulled her even closer and kissed her hard. "Right?" he whispered, pulling away from her for a moment and searching her eyes for an answer.

"Yes," she whispered, leaning in for his kiss. They kissed again, almost desperately. The scent of deer wafted over to them after a few moments, though, and they pulled apart again.

"I'll get it for you?" Jasper asked, hoping she'd say yes. He enjoyed hunting with her, but he loved hunting for her even more. And when he was feeling insecure, hunting for her helped him feel more connected to her.

"Yes" she said softly, stroking his hair. She knew how he felt about hunting for her, and she reached up and kissed him quickly on the cheek. "But hurry - I'm hungry, Jasper."

He disappeared in a flash. A few moments later he reappeared with a struggling buck in his arms. He brought it to her side, and then snapped its neck. Her eyes had darkened as soon as he'd appeared, and she grabbed the now still buck from him and sliced through its neck, greedily drinking the blood that flowed freely from the dying animal. Jasper made no move to join her - he merely watched with satisfaction as she drained it completely.

"More?" he asked when she was done.

"Yes, please," she nodded. "And join me this time?"

"If you promise not to bite," he said, smiling.

****R***R***R***R***R***R***R***

A/N So...My Real Life Schedule may or may not interfere with my writing in the next couple weeks, which would then interfere with my Beta's Real Life Schedule. Which may or may not result in posting delays at some point down the line. I'm not saying it WILL happen, but I'm saying it might... so if you don't see a chapter on a Tuesday or Saturday as expected, that's why. It DOESN'T mean I quit, or gave up, or anything like that. It just means if I'm not home, I'm not writing. And if Super Beta ain't home, she ain't Super Beta-ing.

And FFnet is doing funky things with chapter/scene break markers, if you haven't noticed this already. So...if it results in confusion with my story, I'm really, really sorry. I'm trying to fix it after uploading, but I think I'm not catching them all.


	40. Chapter 40

A/N: Nope, still writing!

Chapter 40

It took Jasper a bit longer to return this time, having scared the animals away with his taking of the first buck, but she was standing still and silent right where he'd left her - under a large pine tree. The falling snow was coming down even thicker now, making it hard to see her. The light was as dim as it would be at twilight in spite of it being midday.

Bella crouched over the deer and waited for Jasper to join her before she bit into the neck. Practicing with her shield the last few days – however unorthodox that practice was – had increased her hunger back to the level it had been during their travels. Jasper figured he'd better plan on either taking her hunting on a daily basis before the Volturi's arrival or making arrangements to bring her something himself. The thought of leaving her now, though, made him nervous. Maybe he could convince Ranger Rick or one of the others to bring her something - or Emmett, if he wasn't too tired of the chore from having to do it while they were still in the tower.

When they finished draining the deer, Bella reached for him, her blood lust replaced with another kind. He came to her willingly, just as desperate as she was for a closer connection. It had only been a few hours since they'd left their tower room, but it felt like longer. And so much had changed in that time.

There was almost a foot of snow on the ground - but under the dense pines where they were, the snow had not yet made much of an appearance on the ground. Jasper resisted the temptation to throw Bella down and take her, instinctively wanting to claim her in the face of impending danger. The memories of being so recently interrupted by Emmett made that even more difficult to resist.

Instead he knelt on the ground, pulling her down with him so they were facing each other.

"Now, didn't we have something we were celebrating earlier?" he asked, leaning in and nipping her neck gently.

"Yeah," Bella breathed, arching into him. "But it kinda got shot down...unless we leave right now, while they aren't around..."

"What, don't you trust Alice's visions?" Jasper asked, moving to the other side of her neck.

Bella sighed. "I do trust them. So what are we going to celebrate instead?"

"Hmmm..." Jasper said, pondering his choices as his mouth moved down and across her shoulders. "We'll celebrate getting this robe off you." He put action to his words and unclasped her robe, After removing it, he broke away from her for a moment to quickly spread it out on the ground as a bed, along with his own that he'd removed earlier for hunting. There was no need to go back covered in pine needles if he could help it. Her hair was already in a sorry enough condition again.

"And then..." he continued, returning to kiss her soundly, "we'll celebrate getting this shirt off." He pulled her sweatshirt over her head, discarding it on the ground next to them.

"That sounds good," Bella agreed, pushing Jasper's shirt up and off him. "I feel like I'm in a more celebratory mood already."

****R******R******R*******R********

Later, they lay twined together in the pine needles only feet from the two drained deer, having somehow managed to roll off the robes early on in their celebration. Jasper was lazily picking pine needles out of Bella's hair, enjoying the quiet, when Bella finally spoke.

"Does that mean you don't want to go home with them when this is all over?"

"Huh?" Jasper asked, not knowing what she was talking about.

"The way you were talking about being told where to hunt and what to do - do you not want to go back to that?"

"Oh, that. I don't know, I guess it doesn't really bother me all that much. What about you?" He watched her carefully while she thought about it and felt for her emotions.

They were all over the place, confusion foremost in the mix. "I don't know either," she finally said, honestly confused. "I miss them, I do...but it's been just me, and then you and me, for so long. I never thought about _after_. I never thought there would BE an 'after'. And I don't seem to be doing a good job…um, re-integrating into the group."

"First of all, you are re-integrating just fine. It's just going to take time. That being said, though, we don't have to go back. We can stay on our own, Bella, when this is all over. They'll understand – Carlisle will understand. We'll always be part of the Cullens - a part of the family. We can go off on our own until you're ready to go back – and if you're never ready to go back, that's fine too. I only have one request..."

"What's that?" Bella asked, extremely curious.

"I want to go back to North America with them and be a nomad there. This whole werewolf crap has worn me out. I'm tired of keeping track of what time of the month it is."

Bella laughed out loud. "It's a good thing you were never a human female, Jasper. You would have been in trouble."

His face was blank for a moment until he figured out what she was referring to. Then he just looked offended.

"Bella..." he began, but then he decided to not rise to her bait. She laughed at him anyway, forcing him to tickle her until she cried 'uncle'. Then he tried to get her to make love again, but she said she wanted to talk about Alice's visions.

*****R********R********R********R********

They spent the rest of the day and most of the night out in the forest, quietly discussing Alice's visions and what they all might mean for them in the end. They never did come to any conclusion, but Jasper spent a lot of the time convincing Bella that Carlisle was correct in his assessment - once the Volturi had made the decision to move against the Cullens, nothing would stop it from happening. Eventually Bella stopped feeling like she was guilty of bringing destruction on her family. For his part, while he did not relish the thought of his family having to fight anybody, Jasper knew he'd be lying if he said he didn't feel better knowing they'd be standing by his side when the time came.

At one point Bella brought up the subject Jasper had been trying to ignore.

"Alice said they'd come at the full moon...what about the werewolves?" Bella asked. "Aren't you forgetting the obvious? After all, YOU are the one that was complaining about having to keep track of what time of the month it is."

Jasper shook his head. "I'm not forgetting, Bella. But really, if they were around, don't you think Mstislav would have made an appearance by now? He has a habit of doing that, you know."

She shook her head stubbornly. "How could he have approached you? Even he wouldn't come into a castle full of vampires."

Jasper shrugged. "We've been out of the castle, too – today, they day you went crazy, the night I hunted with Carlisle and Emmett. He could have approached any of those times, and he didn't.

He could tell she wasn't convinced. "You weren't alone any of those times, either." she argued. "And he doesn't know any of the rest of us."

"He knows YOU" Jasper reminded her. "Even if you don't remember HIM. And he thinks you're bat shit crazy. Hardly a threat to him. No, I don't think he's around. We've covered a lot of distance since we last saw him, Bella, and he would have been in human form – not the easiest way for a werewolf to travel, I'm sure."

Bella huffed, but let the subject drop.

The night began to fade, and they gathered their clothes and got dressed, pulling their now-filthy robes on last. Jasper was surprised to find that they were the first ones back to the castle, considering their after-hunt activities. Evidently they were not the only ones who had needed to 'discuss' what had happened the previous day, and for a moment he felt a pang of sorrow that Alice had no one to comfort her now.

Jasper and Bella took advantage of their alone-time by slipping up to the Cullens' suite to take a bath. It was amazing how much hot water, clean hair, and fresh clothes could make even a vampire feel more human, he mused. Bella was even able to get all of the tangles out of her hair with the help of a real hairbrush this time.

By the time the sun rose weakly in the winter sky, they'd all gathered in the main hall again. Jasper noticed the Romanians' eyes were brighter, as were the vegetarians, and he wondered if they'd gone further than the village below to feed. Surely they must have – he couldn't imagine that would be a very sustainable arrangement, no matter how aware the villagers were of the true nature of the castle's inhabitants. ESPECIALLY if they were aware of their true nature.

Richard noticed Jasper staring at Stefan's eyes. "Brasov," he murmured. "It has a very nice high-crime district, especially since the fall of communism. Good feeding grounds - only two hours away."

Jasper nodded, glad to have the mystery solved. He didn't fancy having the townsfolk banging on the front gate with torches, pitchforks, and crucifixes on top of all their other problems.

"You should join us next time," Richard continued. "It would be better for your mate, too. I imagine human blood would go a lot further than animal blood, and it would help her keep her shield up. It certainly seems to drain her at an alarming rate. She would be safer that way. We would ALL be safer that way..."

"We'll do just fine, thank you," Jasper said, politely declining the offer.

"So," Carlisle began, looking at Jasper and Bella. "You said you'd been practicing with Bella's shield..."

Jasper nodded. "We've…um, been practicing having her block my abilities the past few days."

Carlisle looked at him, eyebrows raised, fully aware of what they'd been doing in the tower, but he waited for him to continue. Stefan started snickering.

"We…well, I thought since we were…um, you know…Bella was shielding the emotions being produced by our activities. After what happened that first night..." He couldn't believe he was stumbling through the conversation like this.

"For which we're all grateful," Carlisle said dryly. "Continue."

"Well, it wasn't any problem for her to put it around the both of us – evidently she's kind of been doing that since I found her and she realized who I was. Our original plan was for her to keep her shield up while I projected, and then I would feel to see if anything was leaking out - based on what I could feel coming from other people. That was a little difficult, though, because it turns out I have a really hard time discerning others' emotions when I'm under the shield - no matter how hard I try. So I just had to go with projecting, and then we'd wait and see if there were any reactions from people."

"Well THAT explains a lot about the last few days," Rosalie said sourly.

Jasper glared at her before continuing. "I think we've determined that she's got pretty good control of it – at least being able to shield herself and me…and at least as far as MY power is concerned. We don't have any other talents besides Alice's to test it with."

"Do you know how you're doing it?" Carlisle asked Bella, his voice becoming gentle.

She shook her head. "Not really. I just...do it. I can kind of feel it now that I know what it IS - like a bubble around me. So, I can make the bubble go around Jasper, too."

"Can you try with someone else besides Jasper? Let's see if it's just Jasper you're capable of protecting or if it is anybody."

She looked at him questioningly, and then nodded slowly. "Alright..."

"If you try to shield the others, Jasper will be able to tell if it's working or not. It would be quicker and more efficient to use Jasper's powers as a test rather than Alice's – although we will test hers, too, before we're through," Carlisle explained further. Comprehension crossed her features.

By the time the morning was over, they'd determined that Bella could, indeed, shield any one of them. In fact, it seemed she could shield ALL of them just as easily as shielding one of them - well, it was easy to carry out, but the act itself was extremely draining. By noon, Bella was as thirsty as if she hadn't fed in a week, let alone the night before.

Jasper could not sense the emotions of anyone protected by Bella's shield, and neither could he influence them in any way. If he was shielded, he was still able to influence them to a lesser degree than normal, but - again - he could feel nothing. Strategically speaking, though, it was a good trade-off.

"So, we know that, at least in the case of Jasper's ability, it IS possible to overcome her shield. But you said it took a while to figure out how?" Carlisle asked after he'd called a halt to the experiments.

Jasper nodded. "Yes, it took quite a while - and that was without any interruptions or distractions. I also knew what was going on. I don't think somebody else could do it quick enough to be useful in a battle situation."

"Hmmm…hopefully you're right. We won't be able to count on it, though. As soon as they know the shield is around all of us, they'll start trying to find a way through it."

"We'll just have to kill them quick, then, won't we?" Jasper said.

Carlisle stared at him for a moment but didn't comment.

Stefan was all but dancing with glee at Bella's display. "The witch twins will be POWERLESS now. And without THEM, Aro will be brought down to OUR level."

"Don't get too overconfident, brother," Vladimir said sourly, clearly still not enamored with the whole idea of the Volturi arriving on his doorstep. "They will still outnumber us. They have other talents. And they will have more skilled fighters on their side." He glanced around the room at the gathered vampires. "We, as a group, are sadly lacking in fighting experience." His glance fell on Jasper and stayed there.

Jasper stared back at him for a moment. "I have an idea about that," he said, and relayed the strategy he'd come up with in the tower.

When he was done, even Stefan was looking at him skeptically. "You honestly believed you could do this? Take out Demetri, Chelsea, Jane, Alec...possibly more...before you, yourself, or your mate were killed?" he asked.

Jasper shrugged. "Yes, I did. I still do."

"Hmmm..." Stefan made a thoughtful noise, and behind him Vladimir snorted.

"Well, you'd better hope so," he said, clearly doubtful. Jasper didn't need his talent to know the elder didn't believe him.

"Hell, Jasper, you damn well better plan on leaving some for me," Emmett said, inserting himself into the conversation and slinging an arm around Jasper's shoulder. "I don't want to miss out on all the fun."

"According to Alice's vision, there'll be plenty of fun for you, Emmett," Jasper said, shrugging out from under his brother's arm. "Why don't you plan on taking on Felix - I've heard he's about your size."

"Excellent," Emmett said, nodding to himself. "And maybe that Caius dude, too."

"Caius is mine," Jasper and Bella said simultaneously. They glared at each other for a moment.

"We'll talk about this later," Jasper said quietly.

"You're right - we will," she said just as quietly.

"Alright, then," Carlisle said, stepping up before things could deteriorate. "Bella, are you thirsty?"

Bella broke eye contact with Jasper and looked at Carlisle. "Uh...yes, I am, actually. Starving."

Carlisle nodded. "I thought you might be. Esme and I brought back a couple of deer for you - just in case. They're penned up outside in what used to be the stables. Jasper, why don't you accompany her out there - it's around the right side of the keep. It's gotten sunny out, but the afternoon shadows should prevent you from being seen by the prying eyes of any humans who might be at the shop at the gate."

"Question..." Emmett said, raising his hand and making Jasper roll his eyes.

"Yes, Emmett?"

"If we're getting ready to overthrow the government, why do we care if we're breaking the law? I mean, it sounds like we've got bigger things to worry about…and we've already been convicted. And either we or the Volturi will be gone by the end of the month."

Behind him, Rosalie huffed in disgust.

"Because, Emmett," Carlisle explained, "the Law still matters. It is not the Law that has become the problem. Do you really want humans to know about us? I hardly think that would be a good thing, do you?" Stefan and Vladimir both made noises indicating they clearly disagreed.

"Yeah, alright, I can see that."

"And, more importantly, we don't know that ANYBODY will be dead by the end of the month, as you so eloquently put it. Now that Jasper and Bella have decided to stay here, Alice's visions have disappeared, indicating that Bella shields us - not that we die, as the earlier vision indicated. Hopefully we can avoid things coming to the point where fighting is necessary."

Jasper could feel that nobody in the room believed that was going to happen.

"Any more questions? No? Good. Now, Bella, go get yourself a deer," Carlisle finished.

Jasper and Bella flitted outside through the door that had been fixed. Jasper supposed he'd have to pay for that, too, on top of everything else he was having to fork money out for. Slipping around to the stables, they found two deer, frightened to the point that they were almost catatonic, cowering in one of the stalls. Jasper felt guilty for a moment - HE should have been the one thinking ahead and providing Bella with something to eat, not Esme and Carlisle.

"Stop that," Bella said sharply. "I know what you're thinking, Jasper. We were a little preoccupied when we were out hunting earlier, or I'm sure you would have thought of it yourself. You've got better things to be doing with that brain of yours. Don't waste time wallowing in guilt."

"Listen to yourself, woman," Jasper said, almost cheerfully. "Take that advice yourself, and maybe I'll be willing to join you."

She stared at him thoughtfully. "Maybe I will. I don't want to spend the next few days feeling guilty. I need to get my shit together – and so do you. We ALL do." She looked over the crumbling divider wall at the deer. "I suppose I'd best take them both – I don't think they'll live much longer, do you?"

Jasper glanced at the animals. Almost catatonic before, the nearness of two predators had sent them over the edge and they were on their sides on the ground now, breathing heavily. He shrugged. "Yeah, I guess you'd better. Can you eat them both?"

She nodded. "I'm starving. There won't be much left to eat around here if we keep practicing like this."

"I'll talk to Richard about it when we go back inside. You go ahead and eat."

She was over the wall and had latched onto the first deer before he'd finished his sentence. A few moments later, and she'd finished the second one, as well. Jasper shook his head in amazement - she was a damn fast eater when she was hungry like this, stressed from using her shield so much. He noticed she'd gotten a lot neater, too, and he wondered if it was a side effect of returning to their family. If so, he thought it bode well for her being able to re-integrate. She might not believe it, but he felt pretty sure that, with time, she'd feel like she belonged again. She had, after all – as Carlisle had pointed out – been made for them - for all of them, not just Edward.

It might take some time, but Jasper would see to it that when this was all over she would get it all back - everything she'd been promised would come to her with her immortality. Even if it did include a different mate than the one she'd originally intended.


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41

Jasper and Bella slipped back inside the keep after Bella fed. But before they could return to the main hall, Jasper grabbed her hand and pulled her back.

"Look, I hate to do this..." he said, then paused, not sure how to say what he needed to say.

"What?" she asked, concern coloring her voice and emotions.

"You and Rose - you need to work this shit out." Yep, always better to just rip that band aid right off, no hesitation.

"Excuse me?" she said, jerking her hand away from him and going from content to pissed off in the process. "I need to do WHAT? Are you saying I need to apologize to HER?"

Jasper snorted. "Not a chance in hell. But...if she comes to you to apologize, you need to at least listen to her."

"Are you telling me what to do?" Her voice went up an octave.

Jasper looked at her thoughtfully for a moment, trying to decide if she was really going to lose it on him. "I guess I am..." he finally answered. "Look, under the circumstances, we all need to be working together, at least until this is over. We – I – need you to be able to shield ALL of us, and if she's still making you feel threatened, that isn't going to happen - especially in the heat of battle. I'm not saying you have to be best buddies. I'm just saying don't rip her head off and hide it. Think you can handle that?"

Bella's retort died on her lips. Jasper could almost see the wheels turning in her head.

"I suppose I can control myself..." she said, embarrassed for having to say it at all. Knowing that it might not be true made it even worse for her. It hurt to know that he had any reason at all to believe she couldn't control herself.

"I know you can, I just really wanted to warn you. I'm sure Carlisle and Esme have both spoken to her. And I'm pretty sure that she will approach you and apologize. I just didn't want you blindsided by that."

"Did Carlisle tell you that? That he was going to make Rose apologize?"

"No, but I know how things work in this family, Bella. And Carlisle and Esme aren't MAKING her do anything. They just have a way of talking about things until you agree with them and do what they want. For instance, where are we right now?"

Bella looked around them, feeling confused by his question. "Dracula's castle."

"Exactly," Jasper nodded. "And where were we both just SURE we would be now? Where did we PLAN to be - against Carlisle's express wishes?"

"Italy..." she whispered.

"I rest my case. Instead of heading off on our trip to martyrdom, we're here with the family, standing together - just like Carlisle said we should. Anyway, with that in mind, I predict Rosalie will be approaching you. And while I could hold your hand and help you through the encounter, I don't think that is really what you want, now is it?"

Bella shook her head. "I think I can handle her by myself, Jasper."

"Oh, I KNOW you can, babe. I just don't want you hurting her!"

"I won't hurt her," Bella said. Jasper could tell, though, that she didn't feel as confident about that as she sounded. He might have been willing to let her talk to Rose alone, but he'd be staying close by this time in case things went downhill.

They re-entered the main hall to find everyone still there. No sooner had they walked in, and Rosalie came marching purposefully over to them.

"That didn't take long," Bella muttered under her breath, so soft that Jasper was pretty sure he was the only one who heard her. Maybe.

"Bella, can I speak to you?" Rose asked, looking directly at Bella and ignoring Jasper.

"Yes."

Rose glanced at Jasper, and then back to Bella. "Alone?"

Bella gestured to the doorway. "After you."

The girls left the room, Bella following Rose.

Emmett was at Jasper's side as soon as they were out the door. "You're letting her go alone?" he asked, clearly surprised.

"I could ask the same of you, Emmett. Remember who is wearing whose teeth marks on their arm right now."

"Oh, shit. That's true." Emmett made to follow them out the door, but Jasper grabbed his arm to stop him.

"Relax. Neither one is feeling particularly aggressive. Bella just fed, so she's pretty relaxed, too."

"Ha! Like that can't change in an instant."

Jasper shrugged. "They've got to work this out, Emmett. Alone. They're big girls. If anybody needs to be out there with them, it should be Esme and Carlisle. And you don't see THEM leaving, do you?" Esme and Carlisle might not be leaving the room, but Jasper noticed that they WERE watching the doorway closely, and both felt very nervous.

"Alright. You're right. But we can still eavesdrop, can't we?"

Jasper considered this. "Yeah, I suppose that wouldn't hurt. We probably should be closer, too, in case something DOES happen."

"Absolutely."

Both vampires were at the door in an instant. Jasper noticed Bella had not shut it all the way, allowing him and Emmett to clearly hear what was being said further down the hall. He wondered if she had done that on purpose.

There was silence coming from the hallway outside, although a low murmur of voices came from the vampires behind them in the great room. The others were evidently choosing to ignore the possible drama unfolding outside.

Finally Rose spoke, so quietly that Jasper and Emmett had to lean even closer to the crack to listen.

"Look, I know it's my fault for setting you off a few days ago. I'm sorry about that - for making you feel threatened. But I really did think you were going to attack Esme..."

"Well, I'd like to say that I wasn't, and tell you that you were just overreacting, but I can't," Bella said, just as quietly. "I just don't know what would have happened. I was already feeling threatened by Esme hugging me. I'd like to think I could have calmed down, but it's a moot point - I ended up attacking her anyway in the end."

"Because of me."

"Well..."

"I'm taking the blame for starting that, Bella. Just let it go, for all that is holy. Stop being so willing to take the blame..."

"Maybe you should stop being so willing to place it on me, Rosalie," Bella snapped back. "I'm not blind or stupid. I know you blame me for a lot of what is happening right now..."

"I don't blame you..."

"You DO blame me. I think you always blamed me, and I don't know why."

"I..."

Bella cut her off, her voice louder now. Emmett tensed where he stood beside Jasper, but Jasper put a hand on his arm and sent him some calm. "I don't remember much from when I was human, but I remember you never seemed to like me much. I don't remember now if that changed after Edward changed me, or not - my human memories are almost gone, and a lot of my memories since then are gone, too." She paused to take an unnecessary breath. "I tried to remember everyone – everything - while I was in the box...but after a while it seemed like maybe it would just be better to forget, like I was doing myself more harm than good. So I started letting stuff go. I started letting myself forget."

"I bet I was one of the first to go," Rose said, bitterness creeping in.

"Yes, I won't deny that."

"Well, I certainly don't blame you. You're right - I've never been overly kind to you. We don't need to re-hash the reasons right now..."

"I think maybe we should," Bella interrupted her quietly. "Jasper was right – we need to get past this shit because we've got to be able to concentrate when the time comes to...well, when the time comes."

Silence fell again, and this time it stretched on long enough that Emmett stood up from where he'd been leaning over Jasper to listen at the door.

"They're done?" he whispered in disbelief, but Jasper shushed him with his hand.

"I don't like change..." Rosalie began.

"So I've heard," Bella said dryly.

Rose ignored her. "And you've been nothing but a source of change for this family since you got here. Don't feel too special, though – I was stressed out for years after Alice and Jasper arrived, too. Just ask Jasper."

"Well, that certainly makes me feel better," Bella said sarcastically.

"My hatred of change - it's not an excuse, it's an explanation." Jasper could feel Rose's emotional pain. "It's what I brought into this life, Bella - that hatred and fear of change. I died realizing that everything I believed to be true, everything I held dear, and everything I loved was a lie. I died knowing what it was like to have my trust broken in the most horrible way possible."

"I remember," Bella said softly. "I do remember that."

"Yes, well, I got a second chance. I may not have gotten to live the life I wanted, but my new life at least gave me a chance to...be fixed. Carlisle...Esme...and especially Emmett - they all helped me realize that I could STILL trust, believe, love, and be safe. But now...I see what happened to you. I see what happened to Edward. To Jasper and Alice. We aren't safe. None of us is safe. And everything might change again, in an instant, and I'll lose it all again. I'm scared. That scares me. And I lashed out. And I'm sorry."

_Lashed out_. Huh, Jasper thought, THAT was an interesting way of putting it.

"I'm scared I'll lose Emmett," Rose continued, "and he's all I've got. Look how quickly you lost Edward. Look how quickly Alice lost Jasper. I CAN'T lose Emmett... And sure, now you've got Jasper - but Alice doesn't have anybody! Everything we have can just be TAKEN from us, and that terrifies me."

Jasper felt Bella considering all of this, and he was beyond curious to see how she would react. He himself was a little bit miffed at Rose – Jesus, the woman could take any situation and turn it around so it was about her. Did she even care what had happened to Bella…or to him and Alice? TRULY care? Or did she only care about what MIGHT happen to her?

Instantly, Jasper regretted that thought. He knew that wasn't true. Rose was afraid for all of them, not just herself. And she didn't really blame Bella - she was just lashing out at her, as she'd said.

Evidently, Bella came to the same conclusion as Jasper - or a similar one - because she didn't' even bother arguing with Rose or pointing out that what had happened to HER in the last two years was hardly a walk in the park. Or maybe she just didn't feel like discussing things with Rose anymore.

"You know, I understand, Rose. I do. Let's just...drop it. Try to start over. Can you at least TRY to accept Jasper and I being together? Because THAT isn't going to change. We can figure out the rest of this afterwards - we just need to be able to get by for a while. You keep your mouth shut, and I'll keep MY mouth shut. Deal?"

"Deal."

Emmett and Jasper jumped back from the doorway. "That's IT, man?" Emmett whispered, disappointed. "That's ALL that's going to happen?"

"What were you expecting? Hair-pulling? Bitch-slapping?" Jasper asked. "More biting? What is your problem, brother? Bella's right – we've got bigger problems. The important thing here is that maybe Rose will shut the hell up, and I won't have to explain to you, Esme, and Carlisle that Bella has hidden the body parts and won't tell me where they are."

"Yeah, I guess so," Emmett said, but Jasper didn't think he sounded convinced.

"Look, maybe when this is all over - and we get home - you can convince them to wrestle around in Jell-O, or some kind of shit like that."

"Yeah..." Emmett said, his eyes unfocused as he considered the image. "Do you think Bella would be up for that?"

"There is no fucking telling," Jasper said. The girls were walking slowly down the hall, clearly neither in a hurry to return to the room where they had to know everybody had been listening to them. Jasper led Emmett further away from the door so they could at least pretend to have not been blatantly eavesdropping.

"Oh, and by the way, Emmett," Jasper said suddenly, stopping and punching Emmett in the arm. "You owe me five hundred dollars. Alice never said dick to Carlisle about the chimney."

When Rosalie and Bella returned to the hall, Rose went immediately to Emmett's side and Bella joined Jasper. Alice drifted over to where they were standing, leaving Esme and Carlisle talking quietly with Stefan and Vladimir. The other three Romanians had disappeared. The younger Cullens stood in silence, and it grew more awkward by the second. Finally, Alice broke the quiet. "What's on the agenda for the afternoon?" she asked. "More practice with Bella's shield?"

Jasper shook his head. As if she didn't know… "I was going to suggest we should do some practice fighting," he said, looking around the room for the missing vampires, "but the three I'd really like to see in action have taken off. So, it will have to wait until later. I don't want to do any more with Bella's shield right now... Maybe later tonight, after dark, so we can hunt as soon as we're through." He turned to speak to Bella directly. "I don't want you getting too weak before they show up, Bella. Regular feeding is going to be the key, and I need to talk to Richard about that. He suggested you go hunting with HIM..." Jasper put the idea out there for her. It did have merit, and under the current circumstances, he wouldn't be too opposed if she decided to take the Romanian up on his offer. Who was he to judge? He would be more than willing to sacrifice a few drug dealers and murderers if it meant they stood a greater chance of surviving this.

Bella, though, had other ideas. "No. Absolutely not. I'm not doing that. That…that hiker in the cave... That is something I don't want to do again. It was horrible. That's not who I am. That's not who I want to be."

Jasper nodded and put an arm around her shoulder. "Alright, alright - I just had to make sure you knew it was an option. Nobody is going to make you do that or pressure you into it." Jasper pulled her closer to him and nuzzled her hair. "We could always go back up to the tower..."

"No, no, no, you couldn't," Emmett said, shoving in between them. "Not right now. Give it a rest! For the love of God, Jasper, we're all about to die at the hands of the Volturi - try spending some time with your family before we all go up in flames."

"Nice, Emmett, real nice," Jasper said, and Bella stuck her tongue out at her brother. In spite of his words, Emmett's remarks seemed to relax the group a little bit.

"Well...." she said slowly, looking at Alice and smiling tentatively. "It's cloudy out now. We could go down into the village. I haven't seen the village yet...maybe there are some stores or something..."

"Actually, Bella, we can't go into the village," Alice said, trying to hold back a smile.

"We can't?" Bella asked, confused. "I thought they, you know, kinda knew about us..."

"Well, they kinda do..." Alice trailed off, avoiding eye contact with Bella. "But you, um…well, it might be better if they don't see you...again..."

"Me?" Bella asked, even more confused now.

"Yeah, Bella," Emmett said, laughing loudly. "You don't think they NOTICED you the other day? They think you're a WITCH, or some kinda shit like that. They were actually pounding on the castle's doors, demanding that Stefan throw you out to them the morning after the whole dog thing, while you and Jasper and Carlisle were out hiding in the woods." Bella and Jasper stared at him in shock, but he didn't notice and continued speaking. "And what is it with you and dogs, anyway? Are you trying to make sure nobody tops you in that category in my book? Because I gotta tell you - NOBODY is going to be challenging THAT record anytime soon. Anyway, then they showed up again after you and Jasper had been up in that tower doing your thing for a couple of days, screaming for your head on a stake or your whole body tied to a pole in the town square so they could set you on fire. Christ, you'd never know it was the 21st century around here."

Huh, Jasper thought - must have been busy at the time. He'd totally missed that happening.

"Me? Why are they blaming ME?"

"Well, gee, let's think about it - maybe because...all this shit started happening after you showed up. It's not like you made a quiet entrance after all." He started laughing. "Several of them saw you and Jasper arrive and have that little fight with the locals. And then the show you and Jasper put on that first night…well, that sort of projected over the whole village. And then the dogs. And then the whole tower thing - an on-again-off-again orgy - that sort of thing attracts attention..." By now Emmett was having a hard time standing upright, he was laughing so hard.

"Yeah, but..."

"Naturally, they blame a woman," Rosalie said coolly, joining the conversation for the first time. She looked at Bella and smiled a little. It was a kind smile, if hesitant. A sister's smile, and Bella smiled back also a little hesitantly. "It's always easier to blame a woman."

"And face it, Bella, all that IS sort of traceable back to you..." Emmett said, trying to catch his breath. Only Emmett, Jasper thought, could run out of unneeded breath from laughing too hard.

"So, no trip to the village," Bella said, trying to decide whether she cared or not, and finally deciding she didn't.

"Nope, no village for you. Don't worry, Bella - Rose and I went when we first got here and you aren't missing a thing," Alice tried to reassure her.

"Huh. Okay then. Well, I don't like shopping anyway."

"We could play truth or dare," Emmett suggested after a moment's silence.

"Um, no," Bella said.

"I don't think so," Jasper said at the same time. "And you thought having sex was inappropriate on the eve of destruction? How is 'truth or dare' any better?" Personally, he thought sex sounded MORE than appropriate as a pre-destruction activity.

Emmett shrugged. "I don't know - maybe we could get Bella to try for a cat record for the book."

"Hey, Emmett," Bella retorted. "Maybe you should enter YOURSELF for the cockblocking record!"

Suddenly Carlisle was standing with them. "I hate to interrupt you, but I believe Richard, Edmond, and Marton will be returning shortly. They've gone to make arrangements to close the castle for repairs for the next two weeks to assure us of more privacy. When they get back, I agree with Jasper that some fighting practice would probably be in order. Agree?"

Everyone nodded, and Carlisle left to join Esme again.

"'Truth or dare' would be more fun," Emmett grumbled.

"So would sex," Jasper said.


	42. Chapter 42

**A/N**: SM Owns the characters. You know, I forgot to say that in the last chapter...its been three days now, and I haven't been sued yet...hmmm.

Thank you for all the reviews! I read them all, and appreciate every one of them, even when I don't get a chance to reply.

Chapter 42

Richard, Marton, and Edmond reappeared before too long, and when they did, everyone turned, almost in unison, to Jasper. He wondered if they'd discussed this while he and Bella had been up in the tower.

"Okay," Jasper said, addressing the group. He fell back into the role of military leader, which he had discarded so long ago, with ease. He was in his element and he felt more than comfortable in the role. "We had Bella practice using her shield all morning. I'm going to give her a break this afternoon. Instead, I want to see what you've all got in the way of fighting moves so I know what we have to work with – should things come to that." He glanced at Carlisle and nodded slightly, acknowledging the older vampire's hope that things would NOT come to violence.

"I've got AMAZING moves, Jasper," Emmett boomed out. "Just ask Rose!"

Jasper ignored him. "Okay, I want everybody to pair up and then wait for my instructions."

"We're an uneven number," Richard pointed out.

"Thank you, Ranger Rick. I hadn't noticed," Jasper said sarcastically. "Bella will not be partaking in these exercises." He felt Bella stare at him in surprise from where she was standing next to him but he didn't look at her.

"Why not?" Marton asked sullenly. "Why is she getting special treatment? Because you're sleeping with her?"

Jasper bit off a growl. "I've seen what Bella can do in a fight. Unless you want to lose a body part, be happy that she'll only be watching." Now he felt her embarrassment but he couldn't help that. He really didn't need her ripping off anyone's head if she felt threatened - which she would. He was pretty sure she didn't know the meaning of the phrase 'pull your punches' at this point in her life.

"Bella is still young and excitable," Carlisle said smoothly, stepping forward to speak.

Ever the diplomat, Jasper thought. He personally didn't care what the fuck any of them thought about why he did what he did, and he opened his mouth to say as much.

"She has...issues...with being restrained, due to events that occurred soon after her change," Carlisle continued with a warning look at Jasper to keep his mouth shut.

"That'll put some limits on your love life, Jasper," Emmett muttered.

"Emmett," Esme hissed.

Beside him, Jasper could feel Bella become even more embarrassed. He also felt the beginnings of agitation, which was never a good thing with Bella. He reached out and put a hand on her arm but still didn't look at her. Luckily, she relaxed instantly at his touch.

Carlisle continued as if he hadn't heard Emmett. "Jasper has decided - and I concur - that she does not need to participate in this portion of the training. She will be present at the encounter with the Volturi in the capacity of Shield only. If, God forbid, fighting does break out, she will be protected by us so that she can continue shielding the group. But if it comes down to it, Jasper feels that she is more than capable of protecting herself, should she be attacked and none of us are able to assist her."

Jasper didn't remember discussing any of that with Carlisle but it worked for him, so he let it go. "Any other questions?" Jasper barked when Carlisle finished speaking. Nobody said anything.

"Alright. Like I said, pair up!"

Huh, Jasper thought as he considered the full implications of Carlisle's words. It seemed Carlisle had not filled their hosts in on the whole story of what had been happening to the various Cullens. Interesting. He wondered what, exactly, he HAD told the other vampires, but he filed the thought away – he would ask Carlisle about it later when they were alone. Instead he concentrated on the job at hand, which at the moment consisted of moving amongst the pairs that had formed, telling them what he wanted them to do and what he was interested in seeing. He rearranged some of the pairs, despite Emmett's protests that he and Rose needed all the practice wrestling together that they could get. He paired Carlisle with Edmond and Emmett with Marton because they were obvious choices - the two most experienced with the two least experienced. The women seemed to confer silently for a moment before Rose stalked over to stand beside Richard. Jasper raised an eyebrow and glanced at Emmett, who just grinned back at him. Alright then… Esme and Alice would make up the second to last pair.

When he got to Stefan and Vladimir, he realized by both their body language and their emotions that they had no intention of participating.

"Not going to join us?" he asked.

"Not today," Stefan answered smoothly. "Today we will observe."

Jasper shrugged. It was annoying, but he wasn't sure what his options were. He had to assume they could fight, or they wouldn't have survived this long. And he didn't feel he was in a position to insist - not only were the Cullens impinging on their hospitality, but it was his and Bella's presence that had put them in this position of needing to fight in the first place. The two could have just kicked them all out into the snow.

The next two hours were spent with Jasper moving amongst the pairs as he explained techniques, encouraged them, and tried his best to not throttle the three Romanians, whose attitudes were really starting to wear on his nerves. He had always thought the Cullens had lived a sheltered life. But these three men, who had been freer to be vampires, existing almost openly amongst the villagers and feeding on humans in nearby cities. Still, like the Cullens, they had no idea what they were really going up against. To make matters worse, it almost seemed as if they didn't believe how dangerous the situation was. They were cocky. And in Jasper's experience, cocky could be dangerous…and deadly.

It would have been different if they'd had some skill to back up their attitudes, but they didn't. Richard seemed to catch on quickly, but the other two...well, Jasper figured he knew already who was going down first if it should come to a fight.

Jasper kept glancing over to where Bella stood with Stefan and Vladimir, observing the fighting. They appeared to be speaking, but between the noise of the fighting pairs he was supposed to be observing and coaching and the quietness of their conversation, he couldn't tell what was being said. He reached out to taste their emotions, but all three were emitting nothing more than mild curiosity as they watched the fighting pairs in the room.

It still aggravated the hell out of him. He didn't like the two ancient vampires. He didn't like their interest in Bella, and he didn't trust the motives behind their interest in her. He sure as hell didn't like them talking to her now, standing close to her like they were old friends.

"Alright!" he yelled, his attention brought back to the matter at hand as Emmett heaved Edmond across the room, barely missing Jasper where he stood distracted. "Switch up now. Pick someone else - I don't fuckin' care who." He ignored the reproachful look Esme shot him, not caring right now about his language. Once they'd done as he said, he moved among them, continuing to correct moves, showing them new ones, and moving ever closer to the trio of observers.

"Sure you don't need the practice?" he asked Stefan when he'd finally arrived at their side.

"Quite sure," Stefan said calmly. "Although…it is an interesting process to observe. Have you drawn any conclusions, Empath?"

Jasper snorted, watching Edmond and Marton both fumbling their way through wrestling with Esme and Rose. Richard, at least, seemed to be holding his own against Emmett. "Yeah. We're in a world of hurt unless things change in the next few days."

"Your coven members seem to be doing fairly well," Vladimir said. "I thought it a strange thing at first - their ability to fight - especially knowing what we know of Carlisle and his pacifist ways. But Bella has informed us of the trouble your coven had with newborns a few years ago."

Ah, so that's what they'd been speaking of, Jasper thought. "Yes...we do have some experience in that area."

"Fighting newborns and fighting experienced vampires are two very different things," Vladimir pointed out.

"At least it gives us something to build on," Jasper retorted.

"We did not create these three with the intent of fighting," Stefan said as Rose tossed Edmond into Esme and Marton, effectively breaking them up. "Although…it seems Richard is doing fine."

"Richard was still young when you changed him," Jasper said. "Perhaps the age of the human at the time of changing has something to do with it. Testosterone, aggressiveness, and the urge to fight fades as humans grow older. Maybe the lack of those elements is transferred over to the vampire. It's not very common for an older adult to be changed."

Stefan nodded. "Perhaps… But as I said, we chose them with other intentions in mind."

"You know..."Jasper said, not looking at the two Romanians, "it would help a lot if I knew what kind of fighters you two were."

"We will hold our own," Stefan said.

"You needn't worry about us," Vladimir added.

"I'm NOT worried about you," Jasper snapped. "I'm worried about my family…Oh, for the love of...HOLD UP!" he shouted and stomped over to where Rose was holding Marton down and pounding her fist into his face. "What the hell are you doing, Rose? You're supposed to be wrestling with Edmond, not cage fighting with Marton!"

Rose stopped her punching but refused to release her hold on the other vampire. "Emmett!" Jasper barked, and Emmett appeared at his side almost instantly to pull his mate up. She finally let go of her opponent but was still literally hissing and spitting at him.

"What the hell happened here?" Jasper demanded of the both of them, reaching down to grab Marton and yanking him to his feet.

"He called me a whore!" Rose shouted, struggling against the hold her mate had on her and clearly trying to get access to Marton again. Emmett tightened his hold on her but grinned at Jasper, who could tell his brother found the whole thing to be quite the turn-on and groaned to himself. They had the Volturi breathing down their necks but nobody, apparently, could focus on what they needed to be doing, including himself.

"You ARE a whore," Marton hissed back at her. Jasper punched him in the head without thinking, the loud crack echoing around the now silent chamber.

"What is it with you and your coven brothers? Do you hate women in general, or is it Cullen women in particular?" Jasper asked him, punching him again. "Don't bother answering that. I don't want to know. That's enough for now!" he yelled at the rest of the room, throwing Marton away from him. "I suggest," he said more quietly, his voice hard, "that we all consider what is probably going to be happening in a few days - you will be fighting for your continued existence." He stared hard at the three newer Romanian coven members. "Bella's shield will only protect you from mental attacks. On the physical level, you're on your own. You all need to cool down. We'll meet back here in a couple of hours and do this again - WITHOUT the personal insults."

Carlisle crossed the room quickly to stand by him. "Jasper," he said, "why don't we practice some more with Bella's shield when we return from our break? If we do that for a few hours, it will then be dark, and then she can go hunt, perhaps with Esme, Alice, and Rose. "

Jasper looked at Carlisle. It was pretty clear to him that Carlisle wanted to talk to him with Bella out of the way. He poked around in Carlisle's emotions but didn't find anything he'd identify as stressful. He turned to Bella.

"Would you like that?" he asked quietly, drawing her a few steps away from the Romanians and Carlisle to give them the illusion of privacy. "To hunt with them again, I mean. Last time..."

"The hunting was fine last time," Bella said firmly. "It was AFTER the hunt that didn't go so well. I think it makes sense, though, especially if you don't want me to practice fighting..."

"You understand WHY I don't want you practicing with us, on the physical part of it, don't you?"

"You don't trust me," she said bluntly, but she didn't feel very upset with that fact.

"Well, I don't know if I'd phrase it like that," Jasper said, grinning at her. "I DO trust you – to react with your instincts. That'll be fine in a real fight. But taking somebody's head off right now will put a hitch in the practice schedule. That shit takes time to heal."

"I am aware of that," she said quietly, reminding him.

Jasper winced, not having intended to bring that up again. "Yes. Sorry."

"It's okay, Jasper," she said, smiling a bit. "It's not like we can spend the rest of our lives – the rest of eternity – avoiding everything that might remind me of it. I thought...I thought you said - back when you were training everybody to fight the newborns – that it was a bad thing to fight on instinct. Didn't you say it gave experienced vampires an advantage over newborns?"

"Well...yeah, it CAN be a bad thing. So can curling up into a ball when you're being attacked - but it seemed to be the right thing for you to do back in Siberia with those werewolves. And you didn't exactly react as a newborn back in Kiev when you relieved the resident vampire of his head. Both times you were acting on your instincts, even in the incident with Esme. I just think you've got some pretty sound instincts when it comes to protecting yourself. Hopefully you won't have to put them to use."

"Are YOU going to protect me?" she asked, and Jasper could feel her doubt and fear.

"I am." He stepped closer to her and pulled her to him, holding her tight.

"But...you're going to be busy killing everybody," she whispered.

"I'm going to have a lot of help," he tried to reassure her. "And I can do both."

She looked around the now-empty room and he felt her doubt. He figured she was remembering the earlier practice session. "Don't worry – I'll whip them all into shape. And never underestimate the element of surprise. We'll have a hell of a big surprise for them when they see YOU."

She nodded. "I guess we will. But...once they see me, or as soon as I start using my shield, we won't have much time before they figure out a way through it, will we? I mean, YOU can kind of get through it..."

Jasper shrugged. "Eh. I can't get through it enough to do much of anything. And Alice doesn't seem to be able to get through it at all – although, maybe we'll learn more on that front when we practice with her this afternoon."

"But THEY might. I mean, we can't count on me being able to keep them out forever... And if Jane or Alec gets through, it will all be over."

He nodded. "You're right. And just the fact that you're shielding us at all might cause them to attack."

"So, Carlisle hoping things will work out without a fight...they probably won't, will they?"

"Probably not. But I thought you wanted revenge, Bella. Have you changed your mind?" It was a bit late, but still...he wouldn't mind going to his funeral pyre knowing he'd been able to break that damn pull of hers.

"It's different now," she whispered, not looking at him. "When it was just me, I didn't care. When it became you and me...I still wanted to kill them, even if it meant I died. But I didn't want you to die, too, and that made it complicated. And now…now that it's the whole family...I don't want any of them to die because of me."

Jasper sighed. "They're not in danger because of you, Bella. They – we – are all in danger because the Volturi have decided to end the Cullens. You really can be stubborn, can't you?"

"So I've been told."

"Yeah, well – they were right. Harness that stubbornness and put it to good use, Bella. Don't use it to keep wallowing in guilt."

"Right..." she glanced around and noticed that while they'd been talking quietly, everyone had returned to the room. She wondered what they'd all done to 'cool down', as Jasper had ordered them to do. Did vampires do yoga? Hunting was always the prescribed 'cool down' exercise of choice in the Cullen family - encouraged and enforced by Carlisle - but there'd been no time for anybody to hunt. Maybe the Romanians had dipped into the local populace...

Her thoughts shied away from that. If they HAD done that, she was sure the resulting 'missing persons' would be blamed on her, too, along with everything else.

"Ready to work out?" Jasper asked her, tipping her chin up so she was looking at him.

She nodded. "Ready as I'll ever be," she said, smiling a little.

"Okay. Alice," he said more loudly, looking over at the Cullens. "Come here."

Alice was instantly at their side. "Alright. Alice, we have a good feel for how Bella blocks my power, so it's time to see how it works with a different power."

Bella and Alice both looked confused. "We already know I can block Alice's visions," Bella pointed out.

"We're fairly sure you're blocking her," Jasper corrected. "Look, she's the only other one in the group who has a special talent, so we're going to have to work with what we have…unless you want to spend the rest of the afternoon seeing if you can make Edmond forget how to add and subtract."

"Oh. Makes sense, I guess...how are we going to do this?"

"Bella, you're going to shield people and they're going to make decisions. Alice will stay outside the shield and see if she can 'see' what they decide."

Bella looked at Alice. "But I thought your visions didn't always work on demand like that?"

Alice shrugged. "Oh, maybe not on long-term things or with people who aren't actually WITH me, but in a small group like this? Yeah, I can easily see what they're deciding short-term, especially if it is a deliberate decision. Well, usually…"

The next two hours were spent much as the morning had been. Bella shielded the entire group and they each tried to focus on various decisions. It only took a few minutes to confirm that Alice definitely could not see any decisions made by anyone inside the shield. As soon as Bella dropped it from any given person, Alice almost instantly saw what they were intending to do.

The entire process earned Emmett a smack on the head and growls at Edmond and Marton, but Alice refused to say what any of them had been deciding to do.

If Alice was the one being shielded, the same thing happened - anybody under the shield with her was readable, anybody outside was not. Unlike Jasper, though, her powers seemed to be totally blocked by Bella in either direction.

"What is the point of this?" Marton asked sourly after two hours of what was, by anybody's definition, monotony.

"It gives Bella a chance to practice shielding all of us, for one thing," Jasper said. "And it also gives her a chance to practice dropping her shield around certain individuals, which might come in handy. More control over one's power is always a good thing." He knew who he'd kick out of her shield if he had a chance to make that decision when the time came.

"It might behoove us to see if Isabella can maintain her shield when the distractions of fighting are going on around her," Stefan suggested. Unlike the earlier sparring, they had been more than willing to participate in the late afternoon exercises.

Beside him, Vladimir nodded. "Things certainly will not be this calm and quiet around her when our brothers arrive. She needs to learn to concentrate under more stressful conditions."

Jasper mentally rolled his eyes. "You're right, of course. We will be doing that tomorrow. Tonight, though, she hunts."

"I'm not thirsty," Bella said.

"You're still hunting," Jasper said, his tone brooking no further disagreement. "Tonight you'll go with Esme, Rose, and Alice. Tomorrow we'll go together. After that, you'll have to stay here and we'll bring your dinner back to you. There's no sense in taking the chance of you running into any scouts the Volturi might have sent ahead of them, especially since we have to go further out each time."

For a moment Jasper thought Bella was going to argue with him, but then she simply nodded. He didn't know whether to be shocked or suspicious.

Richard stepped forward. "I just want to say I don't like the strain your feeding is putting on the local fauna. It would be so much easier if you'd just hunt in Brasov with the rest of us. And we'd be more than happy to bring back something for Isabella."

"No," Bella said. "I won't do it."

"Human blood would be so much better for you," Stefan said. "You would not find yourself growing so thirsty from using your power."

"She doesn't wish to," Jasper said, getting angry. "Can you just drop it already?"

"When this is over," Carlisle interceded smoothly, "I will see to it that the wildlife in the area is restocked."

"Money can't buy everything," Richard said bitterly.

"No, it can't," Carlisle agreed. "But it can certainly buy enough breeding stock to fill your forests."

"Which were pretty damn empty to begin with," Emmett groused. "It's not like there was much there to begin with before we got here. I don't know what you're so damned concerned about."

"Emmett," Carlisle said sharply, "I don't need your help."

"Sorry," he muttered.

Richard didn't answer. Instead he turned on his heel and stalked out of the chamber. Stefan rolled his eyes. "You'll have to forgive him, Carlisle. He really is quite attached to his animals. We'd be more than happy to have you restock the woods when this is all over. Until then, you are more than free to hunt as much as you'd like."

"Brasov would still be the better choice," Vladimir muttered.

Esme joined them. "Ready, Bella?" she asked.

Bella nodded. "Yes."

"Alright then - Rose, Alice, care to join us?"

"Are you all hungry already, too?" Bella asked, curious if maybe the day's activities had had any effect on their appetites, too.

"No, dear," Esme answered gently. "We may hunt with you simply because we're there and might not get another chance to, but no… We're simply going along..."

"As babysitters," Bella finished for her.

"Well, yes, but protection would be a better word," Esme said.

"My visions clearly show a full moon in the sky the night of the Volturi's arrival," Alice said, joining them. "But they may send scouts ahead. Better safe than sorry."

Bella looked at them doubtfully. "If you're so worried, shouldn't I have more...protection? Or just not go out at all?"

Alice shook her head. "No. I see nothing bothering us tonight and I see nothing bothering you and Jasper tomorrow night. After that, though, things get really blurry."

"We don't want to take a chance that anything might be hiding in that blurriness," Carlisle said.

Bella sighed. "Alright, let's hunt. Maybe we can find something besides deer..."


	43. Chapter 43

A/N SM owns SOME of the characters. More ANs at the bottom if you're interested.

Chapter 43.

As soon as the women left, Carlisle made their excuses and led Jasper and Emmett out of the hall. Exiting the keep, they went up to the tower, bypassing the room Jasper and Bella had shared, and headed to the rooftop where Emmett and Jasper had been earlier in the week - before everything blew up.

"You think they'll be okay hunting together?" Emmett asked. "Last time didn't end so well..."

"Alice didn't see any problems occurring," Carlisle told him.

"Yeah…well, Alice didn't see the last time coming, either, and look what happened," Emmett said sourly.

"It will go better this time," Jasper said. "Everybody is more than aware of Bella's…um, limitations now. I don't think there'll be a problem."

"I hope you're right."

"So, Carlisle…" Jasper changed the subject, deciding to end Emmett's conversation. He'd be dwelling enough on the women hunting in his own mind - he didn't need Emmett's questions to feed his own doubts. "What did you want to talk to me about? Because when you're done, I've got some questions for you."

Carlisle smiled. "I thought you might. I merely wanted to give you some more information on Edmond that I feel you should know about."

"I hope you're going to tell me he's got some super ninja-type powers that he's been hiding all this time because seriously, right now, he's our weak link."

"No, no ninja skills...but definitely a weak link. Do you have any idea who he is?"

Jasper thought for a moment, picturing the older man in his mind. "Nope. Should I?"

"Edmond Safra? International banker?"

Jasper shook his head again. "Nope. Still not ringing any bells."

Carlisle sighed. "Trade Development Bank?"

That rang a bell. "Safra...wait, are you serious?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

"But he...they..." Jasper paused to consider the implications of Carlisle's words.

"Um, would somebody like to fill me in on what the hell you two _aren't_ talking about? Because you lost me back on the second incomplete sentence," Emmett said.

Carlisle turned to Emmett. "The Safra family has had ties to the Volturi for centuries. Just as we are forced to use humans for our finances and to change our identities, the Volturi have their human ties, too. The Safra family has always been closely linked to them. It has been a mutually beneficial relationship for at least a thousand years, and probably longer."

"How do they manage that?" Emmett asked. "I mean, that's a pretty big secret for humans to keep."

"It's a secret passed down from father to son," Jasper explained. "And the promise of immortality for a job well done and a mouth kept shut is a powerfully motivating force."

"What, you mean the Volturi change them after a lifetime of service?"

Jasper snorted. "Yeah, Emmett. Because Aro, Caius, and Marcus want to fill their ranks with bean counters."

Carlisle smiled. "Jasper is right. As he said, the Volturi OFFER it. And when the time is right, the human will...disappear. Over time, I'm sure they have changed one or two. It probably comes in handy, being able to send an ancestor in to explain things 'in person' to the next schmuck."

"But Edmond? What happened to him? And why would the Romanians want him? Was he working for them, too?"

Carlisle shrugged. "It's possible. Although I doubt Stefan and Vladimir would have wanted their funds anywhere near the Volturi's. I myself, though, have used the Safras to handle my funds since I met them during my stay with the Volturi. It is much easier to use someone familiar with our unique needs. Of course, in recent decades, we've switched to using the Jenks family. They are more than willing to work for money alone, and they don't ask questions."

"And they respond well to fear," Jasper added. "But why did the Romanians change Edmond?"

"Edmond, I'm afraid, betrayed his original masters. Perhaps he began to doubt their promises. I did ask Stefan about his presence because I recognized him when we first arrived. Stefan and Vladimir are interested in regaining a position of power, no matter what they might say to the contrary. Money – the control of it, the movement of it, the making of it – is where true power lies in today's world, more than ever. So...enter Edmond."

"Couldn't they find their own person? Why steal the Volturi's?"

"A number of reasons would be my guess. Topping the list is that they would feel like they'd scored a victory against their brothers. Another would be that Edmond already knew about our world. And Edmond had access to the Volturi's funds. The Romanians merely stepped in, explained how truly unlikely an eternal future was for Edmond, and for a price, they bit him."

"And the price?"

"A lot of Russian gold went missing after the fall of Communism, and Edmond Safra was, in some people's opinions, tied to that fact. I'm pretty sure that gold is sitting in caverns under this castle now. What better way to finance a return to power?"

"Huh," Emmett said. "What does this mean to us? Not that I don't find it all very interesting, and the thought of buried treasure is cool..."

"It could mean nothing to us. Or it could mean a lot. It will most likely be one more thing to…set off…the Volturi once they arrive. They will NOT be happy to see Edmond here. They will definitely take it badly. It will anger them even further, most definitely. But for us personally? Since his demise, Edmond has become quite proficient with computers. Stefan and Vladimir were telling me about it. Bragging, actually. But they are so behind the times that they're not really aware of what he is doing."

"He's not going to double cross them, too, is he?"

"No, I don't think so – he seems to be quite loyal to them and more than thankful for being given eternity. But I do think he could pose a long-term threat to us. You've already rubbed him the wrong way, Jasper. He could prove dangerous to us on an entirely different level. You and Edward were always the ones to handle our interactions with the modern world. This man could pose a real cyber threat to us…or to anyone he chooses – or anyone the Romanians choose. You need to be aware of this, once this encounter is over."

"Well, if he doesn't improve his fighting skills, he won't be making it through this _encounter_," Jasper said.

"Perhaps that would be for the best," Carlisle said quietly.

"Duly noted. Carlisle, there are a couple of things I've been wanting to ask you before we join the group again."

"Yes..."

"How much have you actually told Stefan and Vladimir about what has been happening to us?"

"They are aware that I – we – believe the Volturi are behind Edward's death, and they fully concur. They know of Bella's kidnapping but not the details she revealed to us of her time spent in captivity. They know she escaped but not how – I merely told them you were able to find her in Siberia with the help of Alice's visions. They know of Chelsea's visit to us and what happened to you and Alice as a result. They know of Demetri and Jane's visit. They obviously know about Bella's shielding power and the Volturi's desire to destroy us _and_ her."

"And they still let us in."

"As they have said already, it seems like a good opportunity. They - or at least Stefan - seem to be placing a lot of faith in Bella's shield."

"Yeah, I noticed that. What do you think of their fighting capabilities? They refuse to participate, and I don't like having that big of an unknown in our corner."

"I think they are probably vicious fighters. Things were different in the early days from what I've heard - far less civilized, far more open. Some people – some vampires – believe we were far more numerous a long time ago. I personally think it was just a matter of there being a smaller human population at the time, which made our numbers appear higher. For whatever the reason, there are tales of fierce battles over territory and…resources, much like the Southern Wars you were a part of in the New World, Jasper. Stefan and Vladimir are certainly products of that time period. I'm sure they can fight and more than hold their own when the time comes."

"Well, I hope so. I still don't like it. I'd really like to see what they can do."

"I can understand that, but I don't think you'll be able to convince them if they don't wish to be a part of the practice sessions. Do not pressure them, Jasper."

There was a warning in Carlisle's voice that Jasper neither liked nor felt he could ignore. "Fine. I won't pressure them. But I WILL keep asking. Nicely," he added for Carlisle's benefit.

They stood in silence in the dark for a while, looking out over the forest and village. "They'll probably be gone until dawn," Jasper finally said.

"Probably," Carlisle said, nodding in agreement. "They had to travel further away. And they'll want to make sure Bella gets her fill."

"What are we going to do until they get back? Wanna fight some more, Jasper?" Emmett asked.

Jasper shook his head. "Not right now. I want to...relax."

"Well, I'm going to go back down and speak to Stefan and Vladimir."

"Talking Tactics?" Jasper asked. "Should I be there?"

"No. More like catching up on gossip. Decades worth. Centuries worth. It's not often we come together like this."

"You're such an old woman, Carlisle," Emmett snorted.

"Yes, well, to each their own." He headed over to the stairs but then stopped and turned. "Oh, you may want to refrain from pitching rocks down onto the villagers while you wait for Bella to get back, Jasper. Our hosts were NOT amused by that."

**************R*********************R***************************R***************************R*******************

"They're kind of fun to watch, aren't they?" Alice asked Bella as they perched on the parapet and watched Jasper and Emmett wrestle around in the courtyard below. The two were clearly more comfortable fighting with each other than with the Romanians.

"Yeah. Kind of," Bella said glumly.

"What's wrong?"

"I still think I should be allowed to practice, too. We could sneak out now, while they're busy, and you could practice with me. In the woods. They'd never know."

"Nice try, Bella, but, um…no thank you."

"You believe Jasper's right about what would happen?"

Alice tapped her head. "I KNOW Jasper's right. And I value my appendages in their current location. And don't think he isn't aware of what we're talking about either."

Bella looked back down in the courtyard. Sure enough, Jasper and Emmett had stopped fighting and Jasper was currently glaring up at them.

"Fine…" Bella muttered.

"Bella, you're getting plenty of practice. We practiced all day yesterday with your shield when we got back from hunting, and it was a lot harder for you to do it with everybody fighting around you. You didn't drop it once, Jasper said – even when Emmett and Edmond crashed into you and knocked you over. Jasper said you drank three deer last night when he took you hunting."

"Yeah, but what if somebody attacks ME and it's not just fighting going on around me or my brother bumping into me?"

Alice snorted. "From what I've seen in my head every time you decide to try to participate in the practice sessions, you'll do just fine if somebody attacks you for real."

"But you're seeing what happens to…to US if I lose it practicing. You haven't seen what will happen if the Volturi attack me, so you can't say for sure that I'll be able to protect myself against..."

"Bella," Alice cut her off sharply. "I can't see ANYTHING about what happens to ANY of us after the Volturi arrive. Your shield is blocking those visions. I know you want to go down and play war with the boys, but you can't. And sitting up here wigging out about it is only going to distract Jasper from what he needs to be doing. It's difficult enough for him to train fighters who belong to another coven - he has to go against his instincts to do that. Don't make things harder on him."

Bella looked down in the courtyard again. Jasper had stopped fighting with Emmett and had started fighting with Edmond. It did not appear to be going well on Edmond's part, and Jasper kept stopping what they were doing to gesture and hiss instructions at the other vampire. But she noticed his eyes kept glancing up at them, and even from here she could see the worry in his eyes.

"Maybe we should go back inside with Carlisle and Esme and Rose," Alice offered.

Bella agreed. She had enjoyed watching Jasper fight the others. In fact, she found the whole thing very intriguing. And exciting. But Alice was right - she was distracting him. Everything she did seemed to distract him.

"Alice," she whispered, stopping near the top of the steps. She spoke so low there was no chance the vampires in the courtyard below could hear her. "I'm distracting him, aren't I?"

Alice turned back to her, grinning. "Yes, you are. But he IS pretty hot. I don't blame you for..."

"I don't mean right now," Bella cut her off. If she could still blush, she would. "I mean with all of this! He can't concentrate properly because he's worried about me. He'll be worried about me that day, too, won't he? And he might not be able to..."

"Stop it," Alice cut her off in turn. "Right now. You working yourself into a frenzy is what is going to distract him. Jasper is more than capable of both concentrating on what is happening to you and destroying who he needs to when the time comes. You've GOT to stop worrying about whether he's worried too much about you! Of course he's going to be concerned about you - about protecting you. Protecting you is his sole focus, his sole reason for doing ANY of this…" She waved her hand at the stone wall that hid them from the courtyard below. "The rest of us are just going to benefit from that fact and hopefully be some help for him. YOU need to concentrate on protecting US from their powers."

"That's what Jasper keeps telling me..."

Alice nodded decisively. "Jasper IS right. He's always right when it comes to fighting. Don't tell him I said that, though, and don't let him think it extends beyond the battlefield. But ON the battlefield? He's always right. Listen to the man, Bella."

"I'm trying to!"

"There is no trying. There is only doing."

"Um...didn't Yoda say that?"

"I don't know." Alice shrugged. "I've managed to avoid those movies."

Bella stared at her in shock. "Are you serious? How can you avoid Star Wars?"

"It hasn't been easy, believe me - especially with Jasper and Emmett's obsession with the whole thing for the last 33 years. If you like Star Wars, Jasper is going to be THRILLED. Believe me."

Bella thought for a moment. "I…um, don't remember if I like it or not. How sad is that?"

"That's even better. Let him 'introduce' you to it. You'll make his day…his week…his month - Hell, it'd probably make his _decade_."

A few moments later they were back in the keep in the main hall. Rosalie and Esme were fighting, with Carlisle supervising. Bella thought once again about asking Carlisle to plead her case to allow her to practice, too. Maybe if it wasn't just Jasper teaching her, it would be okay.

"No, Bella," Alice said, grabbing her arm. "Don't waste your unneeded breath."

Bella huffed and crossed the room to stand closer to Carlisle, but she refrained from saying anything to him. Instead, she watched quietly while he instructed Rose and Esme, and then Alice when she joined in, on various fighting stances.

He caught her watching him and grinned. "Listening in?"

"It's the only way I get to learn, apparently."

"Bella, you understand why Jasper doesn't want you participating," Carlisle said gently.

"I do. And if I SHOULD forget, there are plenty of people around who seem to be more than willing to remind me. I'm just being a brat."

"You're not being a brat. You're scared. There's a difference. Jasper will protect you with everything he has. And I trust his evaluation of your fighting prowess."

Bella snorted. "Yeah. That would consist of curling up into a ball and going bat shit crazy and ripping somebody's head off."

"Well, it seems to have worked well for you because here you stand with us. Are you thirsty? Shall I take you hunting? The women are doing fine – they really don't need me here to help."

"No. I haven't done anything with my shield all day. I hunted with Esme, Rose, and Alice the night before last, and then with Jasper last night, so I'm feeling pretty good still."

"But yesterday was a hard one. Are you sure you're fine?"

"I'm fine. I can hunt again with Jasper tonight, when he's done."

"Actually, you can't. You won't be leaving the keep again. I probably shouldn't have even offered to take you now. It's getting too close to the time we expect the Volturi to arrive. Emmett, Rose, and Jasper will go out tonight and bring back some deer to put in the stables for you. And if you go through all of them before this is over, there are cattle down in the village – a bit of a last measure sort of thing, but probably better than dog." His voice was serious but his eyes were twinkling.

"Humph. Don't remind me. I'm never going to live that down, am I?"

"No, probably not."

"Won't they be just as upset – or even more upset – if I eat their cows?"

"The villagers have left."

"Left? Why?" Bella said, surprised.

"Richard thought it would be for the best, so he sent them away. A heavy concentration of vampires, such as we are expecting, might be detrimental to the local population. Having to explain a village full of drained corpses might be a bit tricky in this day and age, and it would certainly bring down unwanted attention on them once this is all over. While Stefan and Vladimir fail to see it as a problem, Richard certainly understands that it would cause problems for them in the long run."

"I thought the Volturi frowned on doing things that would attract attention."

"They do. But sometimes in the heat of battle, things...happen."

"Ah," Bella said, not really understanding but more than willing to take Carlisle's word for it. "So I get to stay here with a babysitter while they go get my food? Rose is just going to LOVE that." She said, muttering the last part to herself.

"Rose volunteered," Carlisle said.

"Really?" she asked doubtfully.

"Really."

"Huh." Bella wondered if Rose had truly volunteered or merely been informed of her decision to volunteer. She decided she wasn't going to pursue that line of thinking any further. "Alright, fine. I'll stay here with you while Jasper, Emmett, and Rose go pick up some take-out for me."

Carlisle raised an eyebrow and said, "Mu Shu Pork?"

"I'd rather General Tao Chicken…thank you very much."

**********************************R*****************************R********************************

A/N: Curious about Edmond at all? Google him.

A/N 2: And now we reach vacation time...next chapter should be up next Saturday, after that, its a little hazy...might be a TWO week break. Don't send hate mail; there'll be nobody home to read it! But don't worry, all the rough drafts are sitting in my laptop, waiting to tweaked and primped and beta'd when we get back...


	44. Chapter 44

A/N Thank you all for your patience - not that you really had any choice. But still - I haven't gotten any hate mail yet, and that's nice. I'm back in the land of the writing; Super-Beta, on the other hand, is still out and about, globe trotting and having fun. At least, I hope she's having fun. I haven't heard from her in a couple days; but there haven't been any international incidents in the news from that part of the globe, so I think we're OK.

Anyway, here's the next chapter. After this, I'm hoping maybe next Saturday for the next one? But if SOMEBODY is jet-lagged, it will be the following Tuesday. Or Saturday. After that, back on schedule. Not that there is much left. *sigh*

Chapter 44

Bella wandered around the castle and keep, really exploring it for the first time since she and Jasper had arrived. She was also alone – sort of – for the first time in months. She discovered she didn't like the feeling at all, and it reminded her way too much of her months in captivity and her time in the cave. Jasper had taken Emmett and Rose with him to catch deer. They had already returned twice during the night, carrying struggling animals with them each time. Both times, though, they'd left as quickly as they'd come, and she'd not gotten a chance to even see them. Alice had gone into the village with an aggravated Richard to retrieve supplies to feed the deer. Bella had looked in the stables once and thought they really needn't bother - the creatures didn't look like they'd survive the shock of their experience for very long.

Carlisle and Esme had disappeared and she was pretty sure they weren't playing truth or dare. And the Romanians…well, she had no desire to speak to any of them. When everybody had disappeared, she wondered briefly if she should just...leave…and follow her pull to the Volturi and finish whatever it was her body - her vampire nature - wanted her to do. The thought left as quickly as it had come, though. For one, the pull to Jasper was stronger than ever now and it wouldn't let her leave. She found that both comforting and confusing. And she'd never leave her family unprotected. She was feeling rational enough most of the time now to understand that she couldn't do it alone and she couldn't leave them unprotected. She finally understood what Jasper had been trying to tell her all those weeks and months that they were traveling.

She sighed. The keep was silent and creepy. And full of vampires. It felt very Gothic...never mind the fact that she was one of the vampires lurking around inside. In fact, she thought she was looking pretty Gothic herself as she caught site of herself in one of the many gilded mirrors. Drifting about silently like she was, she briefly thought about changing into something more appropriate for the role - maybe a gauzy dress of some sort.

Opening one of the many doors along the first floor hall, she found herself looking into a library. A velvet rope hung across the entrance, discouraging access to the interior of the room and indicating it was part of the 'public' tour - not that she had ever seen anyone actually tour the castle since they'd arrived. She wondered idly how that worked exactly. Jasper thought they had it set up just 'for show' and the occasional, nosy government official, but Bella supposed they needed to be prepared for an actual tourist showing up on their doorstep.

Jumping over the rope, she entered the room. The bookshelves were full and some of the volumes looked quite ancient. She gently touched their bindings but didn't take any down. None of the titles she saw were in English and she thought there wouldn't be any light reading in here anyway. She realized it had been years since she'd touched a book. On impulse, she chose a random volume and pulled it down, gently setting it on the small desk in the room, and opened it.

Just as she thought, it wasn't in English.

"See anything that interests you?" Stefan asked from behind her.

"No, not really," Bella said, closing the book and trying to not appear startled by his sudden appearance. She hadn't even heard him arrive. It wouldn't have been surprising if she'd still been human, but she was a vampire and should have sensed the arrival of one of her own kind. Jasper had mentioned the coven's newer members' lack of 'mad ninja skills', but she wondered if perhaps the older two had some sort of powers in that area. They certainly showed no concern with getting ready for what, by all guesses, could turn out to be a fairly violent encounter.

"Ah, I'm guessing English is your only language," Stefan said, picking up the book and opening it. "Yes, it might be a while before you develop a feel for ancient Romanian. I'd suggest first conquering Latin, as so many languages throughout history are tied to it. Although, in this day and age, perhaps something more culturally useful. French, perhaps…it, of course, is a romance language."

"Or Italian," Bella blurted out without thinking. "Carlisle and Esme speak Italian."

"Oh, Isabella, we ALL speak Italian..." He stepped closer so he was almost whispering in her ear. She fought the urge to cringe away or attack. "But I think, perhaps, that need will not be with us much longer..."

He stepped back and she relaxed a bit. He closed the book and returned it to the shelf she'd taken it from. "There is much that you need to learn, young Isabella. Not just new languages. And we would be more than happy to teach you. I would invite you to stay with us once this little bump in the road has been taken care of..."

"No, thank you," Bella said, trying to sound cool, collected, and polite but knowing she'd failed miserably. She sounded scared, even to herself. "I'll be going home when we're done here."

"Will you? How do you think that will work out for you? How easily will you fall back into the role of loving daughter, dutifully attending an endless round of schooling, and everyone doing their best to maintain the charade in order to blend in? You will never be able to blend in. How well can you play the role of child after all you've been through?" He chuckled and moved back to her side, leaning in close to whisper. "Don't look so surprised, Isabella..." he dragged out her name, almost hissing it. It reminded her of Aro and it made her cringe. "I know how Carlisle runs his coven. I know better than you how he manages his 'children'..."

"I'll be with Jasper. We won't have to do that anymore." She stepped back from him again, beginning to feel like she was in a game of cat and mouse – and she was definitely the mouse. What the hell was happening? She hadn't even felt like this in front of the Volturi when she was with Edward...

He circled around to her other side in a flash, forcing her to turn to see him. "But he is welcome to stay, too, Isabella... We would never want to separate you from your...lover. You should BOTH stay. Neither of you is suited to the role of dutiful child. We could teach you both so much, so much you could find useful..."

"Nooo..." she said, backing towards the door. "No, th- thank you."

"Oh, I think I could convince you to change your mind," he said, appearing behind her and blocking her escape, forcing her to turn towards him once more. "I don't think it would be difficult at all. When all of this is over, we will talk again..."

"BELLA!" Carlisle said loudly from out in the hall. "Ah, glad I found you! Stefan," he said, nodding politely. "I need steal her away for a moment, if you two are quite done talking..."

"Not at all, Carlisle," Stefan said, backing away from Bella. "We were just finishing up our discussion. I was telling Bella the importance of expanding her language skills in order to enjoy a wider range of reading materials." He gestured to the books on the shelves behind him.

"Yes, well, I'm sure you can finish up later. I just need to speak to her for a moment," Carlisle said, reaching out to grip Bella's arm to drag her out of the library.

"What just happened?" Bella whispered when they were up the stairs.

"You need to stay away from him, Bella," Carlisle said grimly.

"It...it was like on those nature shows. You now, where the snake hypnotizes its prey..."

"It was EXACTLY like that."

"Does he have a power? Is that his power?"

Carlisle shook his head, opening the door to their suite and literally pushing her inside. "I don't know for sure. He may merely be using our natural skills to lure you in. 'Dazzling', I believe you always called it with Edward."

"I didn't realize it worked on other vampires..."

"It can. He is old and powerful and well practiced in all the arts and skills that accompany being what we are. You, on the other hand, are young and...not so skilled. It would be best if you avoided him."

"He wants me to stay with them when this is over. If we're still around…"

He led her over to the couch and sat down, indicating that she should, as well. After a moment of hesitation, she did.

"And what do YOU want to do, Bella? Do you want to stay here?"

She looked at him in shock. "I can't believe you're asking me that! I thought you stood against everything they do? Would you even let me stay here?"

He nodded. "I do oppose their lifestyle, but I can't make your choices for you. And I certainly will never 'make' you stay anywhere you don't want to. And unlike the Volturi, with their powerful and talented coven, the Romanians can't 'make' you stay here either. But they CAN try to convince you. And they can be VERY convincing, just like the snake in the nature show you spoke of."

Bella shook her head. "I don't want to stay. I want to go...home. I may not know where that is anymore, but I know it isn't here."

"Well, when this is over you and Jasper have eternity to figure that out. Just do me a favor and figure it out in North America – it'll help me sleep at night."

Bella looked at him and laughed. "Alright, 'dad'. You know, Jasper said the same thing - he said he wanted to go back because he was tired of worrying about the werewolves..." her voice trailed off for a moment. "Carlisle, do you think the werewolf – Mstislav – followed us here? Everywhere we went, he showed up soon after...he was still with us in Kiev..."

"I don't know, Bella. There's been no sign of him around. Richard checked and there have been no strangers in the village recently. And we have not crossed any strange scents while we were out hunting..."

"Jasper said his – their – scent fades over the month. He said he wouldn't have noticed him at all if he hadn't already known what he smelled like."

"What does Jasper think? Does he think they're here?"

Bella shook her head. "No. But I think he's wrong. Why would he follow us all the way across the continent but not come here?"

"Well, there are a lot of vampires here. That would be a big reason, in my book. Caius saw to it that there are no werewolves in this part of the world anymore, and there haven't been any for a very long time. I'm sure they, as a species, have their own histories and would know better than to come this close to Italy."

"Oh. He was following us to make sure Jasper did what he wanted him to do…"

Carlisle nodded. "Yes, Jasper told me that. He wants Caius destroyed, which fits in nicely with what you're hoping to do anyway. I'm sure your Mstislav is somewhere far away from here, waiting and hoping to see if you are successful."

"Hmmm..." Bella didn't agree with him, but she didn't want to argue. She decided to change the subject and ask about something else that had been bothering her instead.

"Jasper said Richard thinks I should feed from humans - that it would help me with my shield."

"Yes, I was told that as well. Richard is probably right."

"He is?"

"Yes. Remember Edward's tofu analogy?"

"Vaguely..."

"Well, it's true. Human blood IS our natural food source. It is, from what I've been told, more satisfying and more filling. It would stand to reason that it would also make it easier for you to use your natural powers."

"But Edward and Alice and Jasper... They don't have any problem using their powers. They don't get hungry like I do!"

"Edward's and Alice's powers are not what would be considered 'aggressive' powers – they are 'passive'. Your shield, when used only to protect yourself, and Jasper's empathy, when used only to sense others' feelings, are also 'passive'. They are a part of you, occurring natural, and they do not use up very much energy at all. But when you project your shield and when Jasper actively influences others' emotions, they become aggressive powers, and it is at that point that they begin to sap your strength. Thus, you were able to go for a long period without feeding without undue stress or failure of your shield. Once you encountered Jasper, though, it became necessary for you to feed more often."

"Because I was shielding him, too?"

"Exactly."

"But what about him? He never said anything about this... Why didn't he realize this?"

"It's probably never occurred to him, Bella. Jasper has always had to hunt more often than the rest of us, due to his problems adjusting to our lifestyle. He hasn't used his powers in battle for a long, long time – for the past few decades it's been used for little more than pranks played in boredom or the occasional manipulation of humans for the reason of protecting the family. When he fought in the Southern Wars, access to human blood was never a problem for him, I'm afraid. He most likely never went thirsty during that time of his life."

"But what about when the newborns attacked? He was using his powers a lot then, wasn't he? Against them, and to help smooth things out between us and the wolves..."

"Yes - but again, he was feeding fairly often then..."

"Because of me," Bella said, flickers of memory flowing through her.

"Yes, because of you. The presence of Human Bella was a trying time in Jasper's life," Carlisle said, smiling. "But it helped him, too. Your constant presence, and the fact that he never bit you and never, aside from that once, even tried…well, that had a profound effect on how he viewed himself. You were good for him then, Bella, just as you are good for him now." He smiled at her and took her hand.

"So that, in my opinion, is what is going on with you. I'm sure Jasper will be just as desperately hungry after the battle as you will be - should it come to fighting, that is."

"You and the Romanians talk like it's nothing, like it won't be a problem. But that's not true, is it?"

"No, Bella, that's not true. But it does us no good to let fear rule our actions. Even Vladimir has settled down, which you may have noticed."

"Yeah, he just seems resigned to his impending destruction."

"True enough," Carlisle laughed. "Well, whatever works for him… Ah, I hear Jasper, Emmett, and Rose have returned. It's near dawn now, so that will be the last trip for them tonight. Shall we go down and find them?"

************R***************R**************R****************

"Well, THAT was pretty much a disaster," Jasper griped as he watched Bella suck down her third deer. They were in the back courtyard of the castle, having decided to try to minimize the stress for the other deer by feeding out of sight, away from where they were housed in the old stables. Personally, Jasper thought Bella was right – it would be a miracle if any of them survived the night because of the stress. She might end up being forced to eat cattle after all.

She looked up at him from the neck of the deer but didn't stop feeding. In fact, Jasper thought he might have detected a growl coming from her, faint but definitely there. Evidently she agreed with him.

_They'd spent the day practicing again. Bella had no problem shielding people while they fought around __her. Jasper had then divided them into teams and had her only shield half the group. That hadn't been a __problem either. So, he took it one step further and blindfolded her._

_Evidently her ability to shield others was tied to being able to see them. She could shield herself while blinded, and shielding the entire group was no problem either. But when it came time to shield a few individuals with the added chaos of fighting going on…well, that had proved next to impossible. The afternoon had descended into chaos, and by the time they were done, everybody was on edge._

"_Well, let's hope they don't try to blind her right off the bat," Emmett said, trying to lighten the mood._

"_Let's hope Aro doesn't get a chance to read one of us and pick that little tidbit from our brain," Jasper snapped back. "We've just identified a major weak spot."_

"_At least we've identified it now and not in the middle of battle," Carlisle said soothingly._

_Immediately after that, everyone - including the human drinkers - had taken off on one last hunt, leaving Jasper and Bella alone. Bella had immediately stalked off to the stables and grabbed a deer, dragging it outside and draining it. Jasper was right behind her, bringing her a second one before returning for one for himself._

"When you're done there, we can go upstairs and soak in the tub," he offered, stepping closer to her and crouching down. "I'll dispose of the carcasses in the morning."

Bella growled again, louder this time, and he backed off. When she finished drinking, though, she stood up and brushed her hands clean on her jeans, acting as if nothing had happened. "Alright. A bath sounds lovely." Her tone might have been casual, but her feelings betrayed her. Jasper knew she was nervous, and her fear was starting to surface again - and so was her anger, accompanied by a certain eagerness. The knowledge that the Volturi would be arriving soon was reawakening her need for revenge. He supposed it was a good thing – better than her being passive or frightened out of her mind when the encounter finally occurred - as long as she was able to hold it together and maintain her shield. He didn't want to think about what would happen if she didn't, although he had run the scenario through his mind already and formulated plans – albeit very weak – in case it did happen.

They went up to the suite and found that someone – probably Alice or Esme – had lit a fire under the water heater in the bathroom. Jasper drew a bath for them both, and soon they were soaking together. The tub was cramped, but Jasper didn't mind. It gave him a chance to hold her closer. But when he attempted to interest her in something more, she rebuffed him. It was a first and he was shocked.

"Not now, Jasper," Bella said. "I'm too stressed right now."

"It's a great stress reliever, Bella," he said, nuzzling her neck from his position behind her in the tub, his arms around her waist pulling her a little closer to him. He licked the scar on her neck and she shivered in his arms.

"Maybe so, but not right now," she whispered.

Jasper paused for a moment, and then decided to push her further. She couldn't be serious, could she? He slid down a little in the tub to have better access to the scars on her back, sure that she couldn't resist that.

He realized as she stood dripping on the floor by the door a second later that she could.

"I said not right now," she hissed, glaring at him.

Well, hell… Cock blocked by his own lover, and they weren't even married yet. "Well then," he said, a little snidely, "would you rather play 'truth or dare'?" As soon as the words were out, he couldn't believe that he'd said them. The stress was getting to him - that was his only excuse. Bella had offered to help him by shielding him from the others' emotions, but he'd turned her down. He needed to be able to feel them when he worked with him, but it was definitely taking its toll on him.

The only answer he got was another glare before she left the room, not bothering to grab a towel and leaving a trail of dripping water behind her. Well, that didn't go the way he'd planned.

He considered his options for a moment, and then with a sigh he got out of the tub and dried himself off. No matter what he may have wanted, he wasn't going to let what might be their last night of privacy go to waste. She may not want to make love, but he was damn sure she was going to let him hold her. Leaving the bathroom, he followed the trail of water up to the room they'd shared their first night at the castle and found her curled up in the middle of the bed, her hair still very wet and body still very naked. Jasper tried to not audibly groan.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"It's alright. I'm an asshole, Isabella. You don't need to apologize, I do. And I do. I'm sorry. A hundred times over, I'm sorry," he whispered back, joining her on the bed. "Just let me hold you. There'll be plenty of time for water fun when this is over, Bella. Remember I promised I would show you those hot springs? We'll still go, I promise. And you can practice your whale noises, and holding your breath, and underwater breathing. All of it, I promise. We'll soak in the hot water until we're the hot springs champions of the vampire world. Right now, just let me hold you."

She snuggled into him and he held her tight, rubbing her back gently and sending her calm. They stayed like that all night. In all honesty, Jasper kept hoping she'd change her mind, but she never did, and he had to be content with just holding her. By the time the others returned in the pre-dawn hours, forcing them to get up, she was feeling much happier than she had the evening before, so he knew it was enough to have just held her.

******************R**********************R*********************R****************

The morning was spent sparring outside some more, the falling snow and dim light making everything a little trickier. It had been an incredibly frustrating morning for Jasper. They had very little time left - certainly not enough time for any improvement at this point. Things were just not going well. He trusted the Cullens' abilities - that was never in doubt - and Richard had certainly shaped up. But the other two were a liability and Stefan and Vladimir were still an unknown.

After a few hours of that and unable to take it anymore, Jasper called Bella over from where she'd been watching from the sidelines. He noted with interest that she no longer stood next to the Romanians, having chosen instead to remain as far away from them as the courtyard allowed. He was explaining what he wanted her to do when Stefan and Vladimir appeared next to them.

"You haven't let her be attacked yet. Perhaps that should be your next step," Stefan said.

"We need to see how she reacts in such a situation," Vladimir agreed. "It is an unknown. Unknowns are dangerous in a situation like this."

Jasper spun to look at Stefan and Vladimir. "Let's talk about unknowns, since you brought up the subject. You two," he gestured to them both, "are the biggest unknowns as far as I'm concerned. Maybe you should join us. You've been doing plenty of watching. Shouldn't you be practicing, as well? It would give us a bigger group to work with."

"Our fighting skills need no honing," Stefan said.

"We have fought enough in our time. We do not need to practice," Vladimir added.

"It hasn't seemed to have helped you against the Volturi," Jasper said, becoming more aggravated with the two ancient vampires.

"Facing the Volturi in anything resembling a fair fight was never an option in the past," Vladimir said.

"Only now has that become even a remote possibility," Stefan agreed. "Against any other enemy, we have had nothing to fear."

"Well, maybe it would help if you would share those fighting skills with the rest of the group," Jasper said, exasperated by their continued refusal to participate.

"We were never good at teaching," Vladimir said.

"Our brothers, now gone, were the creators, the teachers. We fought, killed, fed. Those were our specialties," Stefan said.

This time Jasper did roll his eyes. "Fucking prima donnas," he grumbled. How the hell was he supposed to do this when he was getting zero cooperation from half the group? He looked to Carlisle to see what he thought. Carlisle gave a tiny shrug. No help there…

Jasper sighed. He certainly couldn't just let go and tear into their hosts, which is what he would have done when met with this sort of resistance in his days in the Southern Wars. He'd be the first to admit that finesse was not his strong point.

Jasper nodded. "Fine, then. I guess we'll go into this with TWO unknowns. Because no way am I going to chance having anybody attack Bella. It'll only end in disaster for somebody." He glanced at Bella, who'd dropped her shield. He could tell she was thirsty already even though she'd not been shielding yet today. Yesterday had been wearing on her. "Bella, you'll be shielding half the fighters again. We're not messing with that blindfolding bullshit anymore."

Bella nodded and moved towards the center of the group. The way they'd been sliding around on the icy surface, she knew there was a good chance that somebody would be sliding right into her and she tried to focus on paying attention to her job as Shield. Jasper may not have wanted her attacked, but being knocked over - even by accident – could trigger just as bad of a response from her.

The sparring began again and Jasper took part now as one of the team members instead of merely supervising. Bella tried to maintain her shield, keeping it around the team opposing Jasper to prevent him from using his abilities on them. It went against all of her instincts and she found it took every bit of concentration to do it. They had been going at it for several minutes when she was hit from behind and sent flying across the courtyard, landing on her stomach with the weight of another vampire on her back. Her arms were jerked behind her before she even realized what was happening and her legs were restrained by the grip of another's. Try as she might, she couldn't break free.

Instinct took over and she started struggling wildly, screaming in frustration and fear. A split second later, the vampire was gone from her back, torn away in a snarling mass of anger. She flipped to her feet, spinning around at the same time to crouch in a defensive pose, still snarling. Jasper and Vladimir were spinning across the courtyard, snarling, growling, and snapping. All activity had ceased, the others standing still and staring in shock. A second later, however, found Jasper in the same position she'd been in a moment earlier. Impossible as it seemed, the smaller vampire held Jasper immobile on the floor, teeth grazing the back of his neck in a warning to not move. Jasper, for his part, lay frozen. His head was turned toward Bella and she could clearly read the shock in his eyes.

She lunged forward - to do what, she wasn't sure, but she knew she had to save him. Stefan appeared instantly at her side and restrained her, much as his brother had done merely seconds before. She found herself on the ground staring across at Jasper, fear and anger radiating from her.

"ENOUGH!" Carlisle bellowed, leaping forward and grabbing Stefan by the neck. He managed somehow to pull him off and fling him away. "Vladimir, let him up. Now," he said coldly, stalking over to the pair on the floor. Esme darted forward and, taking a severe risk to herself, grabbed a shocked Bella, pulling her back to where the Cullens had pulled away, closing ranks to protect themselves. As soon as they were with the group, Esme let go of her again.

Vladimir let go of Jasper and stood up, backing away to stand next to his brother, both acting as if nothing untoward had just happened.

Jasper was up in an instant, growling at Vladimir and Stefan and stalking towards them. Carlisle stepped in front of him, putting up a hand. "Enough. We're done practicing. Jasper, enough."

Jasper continued growling but stopped moving forward.

"You DID say, Empath, that you wanted us to participate in the practice," Stefan said, smirking.

"You wanted to see what we could do," Vladimir added.

"We hope your mind will be more at ease now..."

Ignoring them, Jasper stalked over to Bella, grabbed her hand and dragged her into the keep.

"What just happened? Why did they do that? Why are we leaving?" Bella asked as he dragged her down the hall and up the stairs. Jasper was glad to see that even though she was confused, she didn't struggle with him or argue - even though she wouldn't shut up with the damn questions. "Shouldn't we keep practicing? We don't have much time left! God, they scared the shit out of me. I can't believe that – they're so fast. They even got you - oh, did you see? I didn't drop..."

"I've done as much as I can!" Jasper snarled, cutting her off. "We're not getting anywhere right now with the way they were all behaving. That last stunt was the final straw," Jasper said, dropping her hand when they got to the top of the steps. Opening the door to the Cullens' suite, he stalked inside with Bella close on his heels. She had barely cleared the doorway when he slammed the door behind them. He began to pace up and down the room, growling quietly to himself…

"Stefan and Vladimir are…are…DICKS!" she said. Jasper snorted in agreement but didn't stop pacing. "And everybody else is just stressed, Jasper. And scared…"

"Well, they SHOULD be stressed. And scared! Shit, I'm stressed and scared. Fucking Hell, Bella, we could all be killed! Don't they GET that?"

"Well, at least you know Stefan and Vladimir can fight! That's something good, isn't it?"

"Oh, yeah - real good. Nice to find out now at the last minute. It REALLY helps my planning abilities."

"Well, it's better than finding out they can't fight at all, isn't it?"

Jasper refused to be reasoned with, the last few days finally catching up with him. Having to try to plan out some sort of fighting strategy, using people he knew weren't up to it, against an enemy of unknown strength, while surrounded by and drowning in everyone's fear and stress - it had reached the point where he couldn't handle it anymore. Part of him realized that perhaps he shouldn't have insisted Bella not shield him all this time. How hard would it have been to accept her offer of help - the price being getting her a couple more deer to eat?

"Well, thank you, Mrs. Sun Tzu," he snapped at her. "What would I do without your advice?"

"Jesus, Jasper, get a hold of yourself!" Bella said sharply. "You aren't doing much better than the rest of us. Is this the way you usually act before an important battle? Because I sure don't remember you acting like this before Victoria and her army showed up."

Jasper stopped in front of her and glared. "You don't remember ANYTHING - remember, Bella? So don't act like you remember something from your human life!"

CRACK

Bella was gone before the sound of her slap was.

************R*****************R**********************R**********************

Another A/N: Don't hate me. Seriously. You should know by now she's unstable. I'm starting to think maybe Jasper is too. Or maybe she's just contagious.

That wasn't the A/N - this is the A/N: I'm donating (is that the correct word?) an out-take from Running to the Fandom Gives Back auction - all proceeds to go to Alex's Lemonade Stand. I have ZERO details on how you can go about bidding on it, but I will hopefully have that info by the time the next chapter comes out. I DO know it's not a team thing. One winner, one out-take; it will go to the winner first, but I will release it later as a one-shot. So, if there's something you want to know, something I didn't include, scenes that you wish had been included, that kind of thing, consider bidding on it. Donate money to a great cause, and satisfy your curiosity.


	45. Chapter 45

A/N Its Tuesday! And I'm (we're) back! Yay! Okay, I know I said I was donating a "Running" out-take to FGB for you lovely readers to bid on. But there appear to be some, um, technical difficulties. And I could have cleared those things up tonight - or I could have posted this chapter. I chose posting the chapter. So...I'll get back to you on FGB later!

Chapter 45

"Let me get this straight, Jasper, because I'm not sure I understood you the first time. Bella is gone. Bella is gone because you were an ass. Bella is gone because you were an ass and decided to take your frustrations out on her. Have I got that right?"

"Pretty much," Jasper mumbled.

SMACK. Jasper's head rang from the force of the blow but he didn't respond.

"Well, I must say you picked a FINE time to have your first lovers' quarrel. In fact, it sounds like it doesn't even deserve to be called that because it sounds like it was pretty one-sided. What happened to all that 'Bella's unstable, you need to tread carefully' bullshit you were feeding us? Didn't you think it applied to you too? Did you think your skills in the sack made you immune to it? Because apparently you were wrong, Jasper. You apparently made a bit of a tactical error there. Because apparently you are NOT above setting off Crazy Bella, and now she's gone and we're here, waiting for the Volturi to come knocking any time now without our major defense. Do I have THAT right?"

"Yes," Jasper hissed through his teeth.

"Well, I sure as hell hope you have a damn good 'Plan B' because it's a little late to go with MY plan, which was Run Like Hell." Rose dropped down to sit on the couch, grabbing Jasper's hand to yank him down beside her.

"Does anybody else know yet?" Jasper asked in a whisper.

"No," Rose said. "Carlisle said not to follow you guys – they're all still in the hall. But you know me...anyway, Bella about ran me down on her way out the door. At least she took the secret tunnel instead of climbing the wall this time. It was all very déjà vu-ish, minus the pain in my arm. I had to choose between following her and coming to see if you were still in one piece. I'm sure you can understand why I came after you."

"You didn't say anything to anybody else?"

"Nope. I figured I'd talk to you first and see what happened."

"You probably should have gone after Bella. She's more important to the group's survival than I am. You've got people who can fight – you don't have another shield."

SMACK.

"JESUS, Rose. Can you quit hitting me?"

"Probably not - not as long as shit like that keeps coming out of your mouth. So you got your ass handed to you by the Dracula brothers – so fucking what, Jasper? You think you're the only warrior in the vampire world? So you were a big-time bad guy back in the day, playing Frito Bandito with that Maria chick. I mean, I know those wars were horrific, even by vampire standards, and you were a big player. Everybody knew your name, yada yada yada. But if I remember your stories correctly, even you and Maria scurried away like cockroaches when the Volturi showed up..."

"EXACTLY, Rose. That's my point! Bella and her shield were our only hope against the Volturi! But now I've fucked that up and driven her off because I couldn't even..."

SMACK.

"Will you shut it with the 'woe is me' bullshit? You're starting to sound like our dearly departed brother. We're going to have to work with what we've got. And as soon as I'm done chewing your ass out, you can go out there and drag her unstable ass back here. She's probably running around eating dogs again. Jesus. You two deserve each other. At least eternity won't be boring for you. ANYWAY, I think it's probably a damn good thing that we have three strong fighters. I know everybody else in that room is thinking the same thing. I've been doing some reading..."

"Really, Rose? Reading? I didn't know Stefan subscribed to Cosmo."

"Don't sound so surprised, ass-wipe. You know I'm not stupid. They've got a hell of a library here and a lot of history – OUR history. Carlisle suggested we take advantage of it while we're here. We had to do SOMETHING with our time before you got here, and then while you were up in the Tower of Love with Bella. And, Christ, will you let me finish without interrupting?"

"Sorry, go ahead..."

"ANYWAY… Reading some of that stuff is not the easiest thing to do since my Latin isn't all it should be, but it was pretty interesting. And I'm not surprised at all about what happened in there earlier. In fact, I think YOU were the only one surprised…and maybe those three twits that Stefan and Vladimir have working for them. I'm not sure, though, why you were surprised by what happened...after all, you had firsthand experience running away and hiding from them back in your former life. We know as well as you do what we're going up against and I think it's a damn good thing the Dracula brothers can fight like that. So get your shit together, Jasper."

"They didn't need to attack Bella. That was uncalled for," he said through gritted teeth, knowing he still sounded like he was whining. But he wanted to whine and Rose was probably the only one of his family members who would even remotely tolerate it from him – however briefly.

She looked at him for a moment. "Yeah, you know what? I think they did need to attack Bella. Because I think Bella needing her sight is HER Achilles heel, and I think Bella is YOURS. You may not have noticed in your rush to play hero, but Bella never once dropped her shield during that attack. The brothers were right, as much as I hate to say it because I can't stand those creeps. We NEEDED to know what would happen if she was attacked. And now we do. She actually kept her shit together - at least as far as her shield was concerned. It appears she might be more than just a pretty face and a damsel-in-distress after all. Did you notice that at all in your rush to rip our hosts apart?"

"No." Jasper hated to admit it, but he hadn't noticed it at all in his fear for Bella. "How do YOU know?"

"Alice. She started checking as soon as it happened. I guess she 'saw' you lose your focus the instant Vladimir made the decision to attack. They're all still in there discussing the implications. Maybe you should join them and, I don't know, let them know it's a MOOT POINT now. Or better yet, tell them what happened and then get your ass out there and bring her back!"

Jasper stood up. "You're right. I don't know what my problem is."

"Of course I'm right. And I DO know what your problem is. Your problem is you're in love and the object of your affection is in danger. And you're a dick."

Jasper didn't bother answering her. Instead he ran out of the room and down the hall. He paused briefly at the door to the tunnel exit where the freshest Bella scent disappeared through the door that was still open, and then he shook his head and quickly continued on to the great hall. Everyone turned to look at him when he entered the room and talking ceased. Carlisle crossed quickly to his side.

"She's gone then?"

Jasper nodded.

CRACK.

"OW! Jesus, Emmett, you too?" Jasper asked, rubbing his jaw and checking to make sure his nose was still in the right place.

"It's from all of us, dumb ass. We took a vote and I was chosen to deliver the message. Couldn't you..."

"No, apparently I COULDN'T. But now I'm going to..."

"No, you're not," Alice said harshly, appearing at his side and slapping him on the back of his head. "You're going to stay right here and wait for her."

"What, you see her coming back?"

"No," Alice said, her voice softening a little. "But I DO see YOU getting killed by the Volturi if you venture out now. They've split into two groups and you run into the one with Jane. You don't stand a chance."

"And if I stay here? Without Bella, NONE of us stand a chance!"

Alice shook her head. "I still see everything disappear – just like before. I think she comes back. I see it disappear the same way if YOU decide to go get yourself killed – the only difference is, you aren't here to fight with us."

Carlisle and Esme joined them and Rose slipped in to stand by Emmett's side. "She'll come back, Jasper. She won't leave. Everything pulling her is right here – or soon it will be, with the Volturi's arrival," Carlisle said.

Jasper groaned in frustration. "So, what? I just wait? You really expect me to just stand here and do NOTHING while she's out there and probably in danger? You chased her down for me before, but not now? I'm no good at waiting... I need to be DOING something. And don't even suggest we spar any more. The way I feel right now..." his glance drifted across the room to where the five Romanians were standing, watching and listening, "I couldn't make any promises."

"If you must do something, Empath," Stefan said, not moving from where he stood, "you can help us move."

"Move?" Emmett asked.

"Our treasures. We have decided it might be prudent if we were to relocate some of our more priceless and irreplaceable items to a safer location. Richard, Edmond, and Marton have been working on moving things over the past few days, but there still remains the library to be taken care of."

"Now THERE'S the vote of confidence we were looking for," Emmett mumbled under his breath.

Stefan joined them, moving so quickly that Jasper saw little more than a blur of movement. Shit, he was fast. "Not that we lack confidence in the outcome, boy. Not at all. But things happen in the heat of battle. And with that battle taking place in our home, we would like to secure some things. It would not be the first time the Volturi have burned us out but left us living. They have a penchant for flames. I'm sure you can understand our need to take some precautions, just in case."

"Of course," Carlisle said. "We'd be glad to help." Jasper looked at him in shock. They would? Really?

"Excellent. I'll have Marton and Edmond bring in the packing crates."

"Really, Carlisle?" Jasper asked in disbelief as the Romanians disappeared. "Packing? We're going to help them PACK in case we LOSE so that their precious treasures don't get stolen? I think I'd be making better use of my time if I go get Bella." He headed for the door.

An instant later a weight hit his back and wiry legs were gripping his waist in a vice lock - and not in a pleasant way at all. "JASPER WHITLOCK!" Alice shrieked, grabbing his hair in both her hands and twisting it - and his head - viciously. "DON'T YOU DARE GO OUT THERE! Bella will be just FINE if you don't FUCK THIS UP ANY MORE THAN YOU ALREADY HAVE!"

"I thought you couldn't SEE her," Jasper hissed viciously, twisting and ripping her from his back.

"I can't see HER, you twit, but I could see THEM if they're killing her! And I DON'T. So LISTEN to me, dammit!"

Jasper froze. "What DO you see, Alice?" he hissed again, grabbing her by the neck and dragging her to him.

Alice struggled for a moment until his grip on her throat tightened. Carlisle lay a hand on Jasper's arm to stop him, but Jasper snarled at him to let go - and to Jasper's surprise, he did.

"Nothing. I see nothing," she gasped, trying to get air in order to speak. "But if they decided to kill her, I would see it. I know I would. Trust me. Please..."

"Are you sure you aren't just 'filtering' it out by mistake, Alice?" he asked, angrily throwing her words from months ago back at her. "Because I've already lost my mate ONCE because of filtering. I don't want to lose another one..." His voice broke and his grip loosened, dropping her to the ground. What a fucked up mess.

In an instant she was up again and hugging him. "I know, Jasper, I know. I promise I'm checking as much as I'm capable of. I really, really, really don't see anybody killing her..." Alice frowned for second, and then it was gone - so fast that Jasper wasn't sure he'd even seen it.

"Not good enough, Alice," he snarled, pushing her away. "You've got to give me something more than that or I'm out of here." Alice knew something - something she wasn't sharing. He was sure of it. God dammit, he was getting tired of people withholding information. He felt her emotions, carefully picking through them one by one, separating them and examining each one all in the space of a few seconds. Years of practice and familiarity made it easy for him. Whatever she was hiding, it wasn't something that upset her - or scared her. She felt confused, more than anything. But still, he needed more than what she'd told him. It just wasn't enough. He also knew, based on that same familiarity, that if she didn't want to share something from a vision, she wouldn't - not unless he was willing to do way more persuading than he normally would want to. Normally. Right now, though, he didn't have a problem with it at all. Goddammit. He was leading all of them into this thing blind... and he was damn sick of working blind.

"I see Bella," she whispered. "I think. It was just a flash - she was here...in this room. With us. And the Volturi. But she WAS here. It was just a flash - I didn't seen anything else. I don't have any other details for you. But I saw her. And...I only saw her here if YOU decide to stay here, too. Please Jasper! It was just a glimpse, but it was the only time I saw her at all. Please. Stay."

Jasper looked at her closely, evaluating her emotions again.

"Right, then," he finally said, looking at Carlisle. "Boxes."

*****************R*********************R**********************R*************

"This is ridiculous," Jasper hissed at Emmett as they carried boxes laden with books down through ancient tunnels into the bowels of the mountain. They passed several ancient-looking wooden doors on their trips back and forth - doors bound with rusting iron and looking like they'd been around as long as the mountain had. Emmett's curiosity finally got the better of him and he asked what was behind them all. Richard opened one and they looked inside, not knowing what to expect. They were shocked to see it filled, floor to ceiling, with gold bricks.

"The Russian gold?" Jasper asked. Richard merely nodded silently. He opened another and they saw treasure - 'Good, old-fashioned treasure', as Emmett would have said. Crowns, jewels, coins, bejeweled weapons and armor, plates and goblets. Statues.

"Awesome," Emmett whispered, entering the room and looking around. "Hey, check this out, Jasper!" Emmett pulled a sword out of the pile and the jewel-encrusted hilt twinkled in the light of Richard's lantern. Swinging it wildly around his head, he spun around and promptly shattered the blade against Jasper's arm, which had been stretched out to grab him to stop him from acting like an ass.

"Oops," Emmett whispered sheepishly, lowering what was left of the sword. The rest of the blade had flown across the room to land with a clank against the stone wall. Richard merely rolled his eyes and gestured for them to leave the room.

"Hey, can I keep one? For a souvenir?" Emmett asked, picking up a coin and holding it up to look at it closer.

"Of course. Would you like one, too?" Richard asked Jasper.

Jasper snorted. Emmett was the eternal optimist. Souvenir, indeed. "Not likely." Then he thought again. "But Bella might..." There was nothing wrong with a little optimism. He crossed to the pile and studied it for a moment before picking up a coin, the head of some ancient and long forgotten monarch on its surface.

"Get one for Alice and Esme, too, Jasper," Emmett said. Jasper grabbed two more and then followed Richard out of the room, the door shutting with a solid thud behind them.

They didn't ask to see inside any more of the rooms. The boxes of books that they'd been carrying down were placed in a more modern-looking chamber, one protected and sealed from the dangers of humidity.

"Ridiculous," he said again, dropping his boxes on the floor of the chamber and glaring at Edmond, who walked over to grab them and add them to the growing pile of carefully arranged crates. "We're doing this shit while Bella is out there, in danger..."

"Dude, Bella's not in danger. The Volturi are still a couple of days away. Bella's out there running her frustration with your bullshit off 'cuz that's what she does now. She runs. She'll run right back here when she's ready. Alice would see it if she was going to get in trouble. Shit, I wish I was out there running around instead of playing pack mule."

"She didn't do that the last time."

"Yeah, last time she was scared, so she ate dogs and hid in a goat shed. This time she's pissed. She's not going to pass up the chance to come back and kick your ass. Jesus, what's the world come to? I'm giving YOU advice. You're a sorry mess, Jasper, and not at all what we need to go into battle with, man. Relax. Channel your inner captain, or whatever shit you need to do."

"Yeah, well, if you want to contribute to the 'relax Jasper' movement, you can stop humming 'Eve of Destruction' under your breath while we move this shit. I can't stand Dylan – you know that, asshole."

"Hey, ASSHOLE, it was Barry McGuire, not Bob Dylan. Maybe if you hadn't been channeling the stoners back then, you'd know that."

"I didn't channel the stoners," Jasper said. "You KNOW how I felt about the anti-war movement."

"Whatever. Maybe I should start whistling 'Dixie' – would that put you in a better mood? Get you ready for battle, and all that shit?"

"Not really, Emmett. You are aware that my side lost that one, right?"

"Very. My granddaddy was still bitching about it when I was little. It's one of my few, clear, human memories… Hey, maybe you guys knew each other back in the day… Anyway, listen, Alice said..."

"Don't quote Alice to me," Jasper said through gritted teeth. "She HAS been wrong before - or at least, she has missed stuff... IMPORTANT stuff, if you remember correctly."

"Dude, I do. But not often. And not when she's on high alert like she is now. If you can't relax, at least stop sending out 'vibes of doom'."

"Let's get the rest of these damn boxes," Jasper said, brushing past Emmett and moving down the tunnel.

Three more trips and they were done. They had taken away and hidden everything the Romanians had felt were valuable enough to save from whatever they seemed to think was going to happen.

"I don't get it," Jasper told Carlisle. "All Aro will have to do is read their minds – our minds – to see where we've put everything. Or, hell, follow our scent trails. It's not like the stuff is safe from them down in those caves if we lose."

"I don't think Stefan and Vladimir are concerned about the Volturi stealing their treasures, Jasper. I think they are more concerned with the destruction of those things, especially the library, considering what could happen up here between the two groups. They are right – the Volturi do have a flare for the dramatic, quite literally. They seem to enjoy leaving flaming ruins in their wake."

The family had gathered in their suite once more. Jasper started pacing again, the distraction of carting boxes around already forgotten.

"Where the hell is she?" he asked no one in particular. "It's been twelve freakin' hours! How much running does she need to do before she comes back to kick my ass? Alice?" He rounded on the little vampire but she was already lost in a vision without him having to ask.

"Oh, shit," she said, coming out of the vision and staring at them. "They split up before they got here, like I told you already. The brothers…they are coming straight here and they've got some of the guard with them. The rest…I can't see them well - they're not making any clear decisions, but I see Jane, Demetri, and Alec…and more guard members. I think they've brought more guard members - more fighters - than I originally saw."

Jasper growled and Alice glared at him. "I'm not CNN, Jasper. The additional guard members may have been someone else's decision, or perhaps they met up with them on the road. ANYWAY, the second group also split up on the road just outside the village, so now there are three groups. They didn't decide that until just now. They're making sure none of us slip away. The brothers, though, they'll be here any minute. I saw their cars on the road leading in to the village.

They were all silent for a moment, and then Jasper kicked the couch that Alice and Esme were sitting on across the room. Alice jumped up, pulling Esme with her, a split second before it happened.

"Well, Goddamn and fuck it all. I guess it's show time then."


	46. Chapter 46

A/N SM owns the characters.

Chapter 46

They didn't have to wait long for Alice's new visions to come to pass. They'd barely made it back to the audience chamber to re-join the Romanians before the double doors at the end of the room burst open.

"Carlisle!" Aro said, a wide smile on his face as he swept into the room. He was followed closely by a robed female who Jasper assumed to be his personal shield, Renata. Caius and Marcus came next - Caius glaring at everyone, and Marcus looking bored. Four more large male vampires entered behind them, only one of them matching a description of the guard members that Carlisle had given them. The huge giant of a man, larger even than Emmett, had to be Felix. Chelsea and another male, who Jasper did not recognize, brought up the rear of the group. Jasper didn't think anybody would need his powers to know the smile on Aro's face was fake.

"What a surprise to find you here in the wilds of Romania! And visiting our brothers, no less! How very...convenient...of you!" Aro stepped forward to embrace Carlisle, but Carlisle stepped back, declining the contact. Aro's smile hardened even further, but he made no comment and he didn't pursue the clearly unwanted touch. "Stefan! Vladimir! Our brothers!" Aro said instead, turning to the two Romanians who remained seated on their thrones. He did not bother to approach them or attempt touching them.

Jasper could feel Aro's smugness, though, and he knew it was just a matter of time. Aro was smug and pleased - and not at all surprised to find the Cullens here. Caius' eyes swept the room and Jasper felt surprise and anger from him when his eyes landed on the trio of men standing near Stefan and Vladimir

"You!" Caius hissed, stalking toward Edmond. To Jasper's surprise, Edmond stood firm before the blonde's advance - he didn't even feel more than mildly uneasy. Fool's bravado, Jasper decided. Clearly the idiot thought that being immortal now put him on equal footing with his former masters. "How did YOU come to be HERE?" He swung to look at Stefan and Vladimir. "Poaching?" he hissed, crossing to stand before his estranged brothers. "How very like you, Stefan...you never could be bothered to find your own, could you?"

Stefan's low growl could be heard throughout the room, matched by Caius' when Stefan stood and advanced on him.

"Enough!" Aro said, clapping his hands together loudly and distracting the two. "We will address ALL these issues soon enough, Caius." He glared thoughtfully at Edmond. "It would not do to get ahead of ourselves or forget the main reason we are here. Let us not allow ourselves to be distracted."

Jasper felt Stefan's and Vladimir's smugness as Caius stepped away from them, although he noticed nothing showed on their faces.

"And what, pray tell, IS the main reason you are hear, dear brother, and accompanied by such a large, yet incomplete, entourage? You so rarely journey forth without the witch twins. I certainly hope nothing tragic has happened to them - they're such sweet, abiding children," Stefan said smoothly, as if nothing had just occurred.

"Don't play naive, Stefan," Caius snapped. "It doesn't become you. You know why we're here."

"Actually, I'm afraid I don't, Caius. Why don't you enlighten us all?"

"And I suppose you're going to claim ignorance as to the reason behind the presence of Carlisle and his coven, as well?"

"No, no, I'm not," Stefan said, still pleasant. "I am more than happy to admit knowing why they are here."

The Cullens all stiffened, their fear increasing more than a little, concerned at a possible betrayal. It took everything Jasper had to not drop into a crouch and start growling. "The Oracle saw them coming here, so they came," Stefan continued, not missing a beat, and Jasper could feel his family relax a little bit. "I must say, personally, that it is not how I'd run my coven - being dragged around the world on one person's supposed 'visions', but there you have it. To each their own. We, of course, welcomed them with open arms - we see so little of others of our kind, isolated as we are here in our mountains. It's been centuries since we had seen Carlisle… I must say we've enjoyed catching up with him and seeing how well he's doing."

It was clear to Jasper that none of the Volturi believed Stefan – which was ironic, since what he'd said was, essentially, true.

"But tell ME, brother - why are YOU here? And where are the charming witch twins?"

"Don't get your hopes up, Stefan," Caius sneered. "They'll be here soon enough. And don't think we'll forget about this little theft issue," he finished, glaring at Edmond again.

"They remained behind to secure the perimeter and to ensure our privacy here," Aro clarified.

Jasper felt his fear increase. Bella was out there - alone. And now she might not be able to return, at least not unnoticed. He remembered Rose's words about Bella being HIS weak link and decided he could at least make it work for him. He let his fear flow out of him into the room, spreading it around to the rest of them. The result was a vague sense of unease in everyone in the room, but at least he felt better. Sort of…

Jasper felt someone watching him and turned to find Marcus staring at him and Alice, the dark haired vampire's eyes darting quickly between the two of them, his curiosity growing as his eyes finally settled on Jasper. Jasper returned his stare and waited for him to say something, but he didn't. However, he also did not retreat back into the half-asleep stupor that he'd been in when they'd arrived a few minutes ago, instead remaining alert and watching the proceedings even though he did not participate. Jasper wasn't sure what to make of this, but he had to assume that Marcus, at least, was aware of the change in his and Alice's relationship.

He quickly evaluated the rest of the group. Carlisle had insisted that it was still possible to avoid coming to blows with the Volturi, but Jasper still did not see how. The way things stood, it might behoove them to attack now.

"So, friend, is this true? You're merely following your talented daughter's visions?" Aro asked Carlisle, stepping towards him again, clearly attempting to initiate contact once more.

"Stop wasting time and asking stupid questions," Caius said. "You know why they're here - treason. Clearly they are plotting against us with our brothers."

"Oh, _clearly_," Carlisle said, a hint of anger in his voice as he spoke aloud for the first time.

Well, thought Jasper, that was true too. It was so much easier to communicate when you didn't have to lie.

"Come now, old friend, don't take Caius' words to heart. You remember how...angry...he always is. Just let me see and I'm sure we can clear up this whole misunderstanding..." Aro stepped closer.

Jasper tensed. This was it. It was clear to him that Aro was going to force Carlisle's hand - literally. Either he'd allow the touch and the fight would start, or he'd refuse the touch and the fight would start, or he'd avoid the touch and the fight would start. At least Jasper was getting HIS wish - eliminate part of the group before the other half arrived - Chelsea first, and then Felix, and he would leave the brothers to take on each other. Much as he wished to kill Caius himself, he knew Stefan and Vladimir would go after their three brothers first. And after their display earlier, he'd be a fool to not let them. That left the rest of the family to take on the remaining five guard members present, at least in the initial attack. Jasper looked at Emmett, sliding his eyes to glance quickly at Chelsea and Felix. Emmett didn't move but sent feelings of understanding and agreement at Jasper. Almost as handy as mind reading, Jasper thought.

Before he could lunge at Chelsea, however, the doors banged open and Jane strode in. It was amazing, Jasper thought, how someone so small – he doubted she had hit puberty before being changed – could cause such an immediate reaction in a room full of immortal vampires. With the exception of Aro, Caius, and Marcus, every vampire present felt some level of fear at the sight of her - even those who had never encountered her personally. It was impressive, and it made the soldier in Jasper think once more what a mistake Maria had made all those decades ago by being reluctant to have vampires with talent in her army. The stupid bitch had always been so afraid of anybody having more of ANYTHING than she did, and here was a prime example of the type of opportunity she'd bypassed by immediately having him destroy any newborn who showed the least hint of anything...unusual. Of course, she'd liked HIS talent well enough, and she reveled in all the side effects it afforded her.

Just thinking about it made him physically shudder. Jane saw the movement and smirked at him, thinking she was the cause. Well, she hadn't been…but maybe she should be. Things had definitely taken a turn for the worse with her appearance.

No…he was wrong – they just got worse.

Alec and Demetri strode in behind her.

And behind THEM were two, large, male guard members, and they were holding a very disheveled-looking Bella tight in their grip.

As strange as it seemed to him, Jasper realized that things were looking up again.

Shock at seeing Bella rippled around the room. For Jasper, it was almost like watching 'The Wave' being done in a stadium. Shock was quickly followed by smugness – in the same wavelike action. Jane was smug and it flowed from her, through the Cullens, to the Romanians, and finally ended at the other group of Volturi. Jasper assumed that each group had their own reason for feeling THAT particular emotion.

"Jane! You brought us a present!" Aro exclaimed, quickly crossing over to the new group. His shield moved quickly to stay with him, almost tripping over him when he stopped suddenly in front of Bella. Jasper guessed the woman wasn't used to Aro moving so quickly. "Bella! My Dear! What a pleasant, pleasant surprise!"

Jasper could tell that Aro felt anything but pleased at THIS surprise. Huh. So he wasn't the one feeling smug. Jasper turned to glance at the other two brothers. Caius and Marcus were both still feeling smug. Hmmm...interesting. What was more interesting was the fact that Marcus was once more staring at Jasper. His eyes seemed to follow some invisible line, which lead across the room.

Straight to Bella. Marcus' eyes widened and he gasped. Caius and Aro both turned to look at him in surprise, frowns on their faces. After a moment, Aro turned back to Bella, but Caius continued to watch his brother suspiciously.

"Look, Carlisle, your lost daughter is alive after all! Isn't that wonderful news?"

"Wonderful, indeed, Aro," Carlisle said, approaching slowly. Jasper followed him, ignoring the low growls from various guard members. "You cannot imagine how wonderful that news is."

"Oh, I think I can..." Aro trailed off. "Tell me, old friend, is THIS what brought you here?" He turned away from Bella to look at Carlisle. After a split second, Carlisle nodded.

"Yes. Alice's vision told us Bella would be coming through here. We came to find her."

"And so you have! What luck – for all of us! Tell me, Jane, where ever did you find her?"

"In the woods, Master. She was...wandering...around. She seems a little confused. She didn't really want to come with us, but we convinced her." Jane's feeling of smugness was tinged with anger, concern, and...fear? "I left the others out there to make sure nobody else was wandering around the woods."

"Excellent, my dear. We wouldn't want any more surprises, now would we?"

"Confused?" Carlisle hissed, stepping closer to Bella. "What do you mean 'confused'? What have you done to her?" At Jane's words, Jasper had also stepped closer, a growl rumbling in his chest.

"We've done nothing to your precious 'daughter'," Jane hissed back. "She, on the other hand…" Jane held out her arm and showed them a freshly healed bite mark. Jasper smirked.

Bella started struggling and the two vampires holding her tightened their grip. But something wasn't quite right... Jasper couldn't feel her at all - her shield was definitely up - but she didn't look as panicked as he would have expected, being held by two strange vampires as she was.

"Now, then," Aro said loudly to the room in general - and to the two guard members in particular. "Perhaps we should let our dear Bella go so she can reunite properly with her family?"

Nervousness spiked in the Volturi.

"Master..." Jane said, her voice full of protest.

"Nonsense, Jane," Aro said. "We all like a happy ending, don't we?" He turned to Caius, who shook his head sharply. "Or perhaps not... Caius appears to disagree." Jasper didn't have time to wonder about the brothers' disagreement, however, for as soon as Aro had turned to Caius and everyone's attention was off Bella for a split second, she winked.

She WINKED. She fuckin' winked at him! What the hell was she up to, Jasper wondered - for she was definitely up to something. He didn't need to feel her emotions to know that. He didn't know whether to be reassured or very, very worried.

"Bella," Aro said, drawing everyone's attention back to the girl being held. Jasper fought his instincts to go to her side and rip the arms off of the two who were restraining her. Wait, he told himself - not yet, not yet, not yet. It became almost impossible, though, when Aro stepped up to her and cupped her head in his hands. He closed his eyes for a moment in concentration. She swung her head and snapped at his hand, but he was quicker yet, removing his hands and stepping back.

"Silent as always," he sighed regretfully. "Tell us, dear, where in the world have you been? We thought for sure you were either dead or stolen away after we'd discovered poor Edward's fate. Carlisle was quite distraught, child, and he searched for you for months before he finally gave up and returned home. I'm sure we would all love to know what became of you."

"I'm sure you would, Aro," Bella said. "Unfortunately, I don't remember. I just...woke up...one day somewhere in Russia. I decided to take some time to try to find myself. You know, adolescent-vampire-who's-lost-their-mate-under-traumatic-circumstances type of thing. I'm sure you understand. I must say, though, that Siberia is lovely this time of year. Did you know that?"

Caius flinched at the mention of Siberia and Jasper smirked. He couldn't help it. Luckily, Caius did not appear to notice, for he was staring at Bella.

"Siberia?"

"Yes. It's full of some very interesting people. But I decided it was time to come back and take care of some unfinished business." Her voice hardened.

Part of Jasper wanted to applaud. She was holding herself together instead of losing it and going crazy. The other part of him wanted to slap her for putting herself in danger and for leaving the family in the lurch at a moment of need. Well, alright, that last part WAS his fault and she DID come back in time. But still. It was NOT part of the plan. He sent his wave of aggravation at her, and to his surprise he felt her shield envelop him briefly. She was feeling smug, and sorry, and angry, and scared, and...triumphant? What the hell was THAT about? Nothing had even happened yet...

As soon as it appeared, it was gone again. She had pulled it back away from him - but not before Jane noticed something. Her eyes narrowed and she looked back and forth between Jasper and Bella. "Master..." she said.

"Yes, dearest one?"

"I think perhaps Bella has something else she'd like to share with the class." Jane turned her glare from Bella to Jasper.

Aro also turned to look at Jasper, suspicion forming behind his eyes.

"I'm sure there is quite a bit that Bella would like to share with us all," Marcus said, stepping forward. "Unfortunately, she's not likely to, now is she?" Aro and Caius turned to look at their brother, shocked that he was speaking and actually contributing something to the conversation.

"She might not, but there is a room full of others who will. Enough with the charade, Aro. Let us do what we came here to do." Clearly, Caius had had enough of his brother's posturing.

Jasper quickly re-evaluated his attack plan. Originally he was going to attack the talented members of the Volturi once the fighting started. Now, however, his first targets needed to be the two who held Bella - and not just because they were restraining his...mate. It would be over before it started for all of them if she was dismembered in the first few seconds of the fighting. The way they were restraining her ensured that she had no chance to free herself. He shot a jolt of attention-getting alertness at Emmett, who instantly made eye contact with him. He slid his eyes to Bella and her two guards and then back to Emmett. Emmett acknowledged him by looking up at the ceiling and then down at the floor. Jasper felt a moment of amusement – all those years spent around humans - attending human school, having to communicate with each other without drawing attention to themselves - was finally paying off. He looked at Emmett again and then at the guard on the right, sending Emmett a shot of aggression. Emmett acknowledged him again, this time with a burst of excitement and aggression of his own.

Perfect. He'd have to hope that somebody else would take care of the talented ones first. They'd gone over it enough in practice. Everybody knew who had to go first.

Jane. Alec. Chelsea. Those three posed the most immediate threat to any hope of victory they might have. He and Emmett would take care of Bella's captors, and at that point Esme, Rosalie, and Emmett would keep guard around her - just like they'd planned. It was good to stick to the plan - even though he knew from firsthand experience that the first thing to go in the heat of battle was The Plan.

"What you came here to do?" Carlisle hissed, stepping toward Caius. Jasper's attention swung back to him. What the hell? This was not remotely part of the plan. Not at all. What the hell was Carlisle doing? He was supposed to be calm, avoid a fight, defuse the situation, and all that Carlisle-passive type shit. He was NOT supposed to be up in Caius' face, spitting venom at him.

"What you came here to do?" the Cullen patriarch repeated. "Did you come to finish what you started? I may not have proof that one of you was behind Edward's destruction and Bella's disappearance, but I KNOW you were responsible. And all the proof I need for another blatant attack on my family is standing RIGHT THERE!" he finished with an enraged roar, flinging his hand out to point at Chelsea.

Aro managed, somehow, to step between them, almost hip-checking Caius to get him out of the way. "Peace, Carlisle. Is that what is bothering you? Caius acts without thinking - you remember that, surely. I apologize for what he did to your coven members. I assure you I knew nothing about it, and I never would have allowed it to happen if I had had the least inkling of what he intended."

"They were MATES!" Carlisle's voice lowered to a growl. "It was a sacred bond and one your brother ordered torn apart without a second's thought. It could have been ANY of us – Jasper and Alice were just unfortunate to be the first ones she encountered. You are tearing my family apart, one pair at a time, and don't bother denying it with your pretty words. I have had enough and it stops NOW!"

"But, dear brother, surely you know that what Chelsea has torn apart she can just as easily repair. Right, my dear?" Aro asked, turning to Chelsea and gesturing for her to come forward. "All it takes is a simple touch and all can be as it once was."

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A/N It's official! I'm donating an out-take from Running to the Fandom Gives Back auction. Here is the link: http:/www(dot)thefandomgivesback(dot)?id=576. If the link doesn't work (remember, replace the "dots" with . ), just google Fandom Gives Back. I'm in the author list - along with hundreds of other great choices! I really encourage you to go check out all the auctions- a lot of people have donated a lot of great things – stories, crafts, merchandise, services. And it's for a great cause. Bidding starts on the 27th, but I'm not sure of the exact time. Oh, and if the site acts weird, give it a chance, come back again - it was getting overloaded with all the authors trying to upload their stuff, I can't imagine what it is going to do once everybody starts looking and bidding!


	47. Chapter 47

A/N: SM owns the original characters, in their original forms. We've come a long way from those people, but I suppose she still owns them because I have not seen any royalty checks roll in with my name on them.

FGB Auction continues until July 2! (I think it goes until the 2nd...)

Chapter 47

The shock at Bella's appearance earlier was nothing compared to the level of shock that Aro's words produced now. This time, however, the shock didn't extend past the group of Cullens.

And then there was Bella.

Bella had completely dropped her shield. Whether it was in response to Aro's words or an attempt at communicating with him, he didn't know. Jasper felt her shock and fear flow over him, but he was barely able to process it because he was dealing with his own emotions. Part of him realized this must have been what Alice had seen - the absence of Bella's shield allowing her a glimpse of this.

_Fix it_. Aro said that Chelsea could fix it. All he – all they – had to do was let her touch them.

_Don't touch any of them. Don't let any of them touch you._ Carlisle's words of warning came back to him - repeated frequently, as if any one of them would forget after the first utterance. As if any of them COULD forget what had already happened at the touch of Chelsea's hand.

But...Aro said it could be fixed.

But Aro also lied. Repeatedly.

He wasn't lying now, though. He spoke the truth. Chelsea could fix it. She could fix his bond with Alice.

But did he want that? He couldn't even think about it clearly. Everyone's emotions were swirling around him, confusing him. Why would he want something back that he didn't miss? Repair his bond with Alice? What, exactly, did that mean? Wouldn't it be just like Chelsea forging a bond between him and the Volturi, or between him and another, random female? It would be something that was false, no matter how real it might feel to him.

His eyes slid to Alice's. She was staring at him and he tried to interpret her emotions. Did SHE want this? He couldn't tell. She, too, was full of confusion and conflicting emotions.

Unable to stop himself, he slowly turned to look at Bella, not caring who saw him or how they interpreted the action. There was no mistaking her emotions, no conflict from that quarter.

Fear. Loss. Resignation. She thought she knew what his answer would be. She was putting her wall back up, accepting something that hadn't even happened yet. He could feel it, even as her shield was closing her off from him.

Goddammit, he wasn't having that. He knew what he wanted. He shoved every bit of emotion he felt for her at her, breaking through her shield. She gave a little gasp and her eyes widened. He winked at her, and she smiled, dropping her shield briefly to show him that her emotions had stabilized once more – back on the positive end of the spectrum. The smugness was back again, too, in full force and he wondered again what the hell that was about. The whole exchange took less than three seconds.

"NO!" Marcus said, moving forward and shoving Carlisle aside. He turned to glare at Aro. "You will do NO such thing!" He spun to look at Jasper, and then his glance moved briefly to Bella, where she was still being held by the two guards. He looked over at the rest of the Cullens and paused briefly on Alice, an apology on his face, before returning to look at Jasper again. "Do NOT accept his offer, Empath. It is a lie, like everything else they offer."

"Shut up, Marcus," Caius said, grabbing Marcus' arm and yanking him aside. "Don't interfere in things you know nothing about!"

Marcus hissed and pulled away from Caius. "Don't tell ME what to stay out of, 'brother'. I think I know better than anyone else HERE what Aro is offering Jasper and Alice with his little 'gift' of Chelsea's power - emotions that are nothing but lies and loyalties that are only as deep as her false ties can make them. They're strong enough to last forever, but they doom you to an eternal existence within the stench of their falseness."

Jasper and Carlisle exchanged looks, Carlisle looking and feeling as confused as Jasper was. What the hell was going on? He could see Stefan and Vladimir on the other side of the Volturi. They felt just as confused - but more than that, they were feeling triumphant. There was no doubt in Jasper's mind where those two thought the situation was headed.

"Caius! Marcus! Calm down!" Aro said, grabbing both Caius and Marcus by the hands. They were so engrossed with each other that neither one saw what he was doing until it was too late. They both yanked free of him, but the damage was already done.

Aro stepped back away from them, shock on his face. "Oh, brothers, what have you done?"

"Nothing that you didn't WANT done, 'brother'," Caius spit at him. "Nothing you wouldn't have done yourself long ago, if it involved anyone but Carlisle Cullen. ONE of us had to approach this with a clear head. You were clearly too emotionally involved to think straight. I did NOTHING that you didn't know about – even if you chose to conveniently ignore that knowledge so you could continue playing the innocent." He stopped his rant for a moment and looked at Marcus. "I know what I've done – but what the hell have YOU done?"

Marcus merely smiled at him and shrugged, saying nothing.

"Marcus here apparently took it upon himself to compound your mistakes, Caius, with one of his own," Aro said, clearing up nothing for the rest of the room, all of whom were watching the unfolding drama with fascination – including, Jasper noted, the two holding Bella. "And now all of them are apparently coming home to roost. Did you honestly think helping her escape was the 'right' thing to do?" he asked Marcus.

Marcus shrugged again and continued to smile. It was not a reassuring smile, but a feral one.

Carlisle stepped forward again and confronted Aro, all but spitting in his face. "You admit you had her after all?"

"I admit NOTHING," Aro hissed. "And if we did have her, it is no concern of yours, Carlisle." The façade of Benevolent Leader that Aro normally adopted had disappeared, leaving in its wake the Coven Leader who was used to getting his way in the vampire world.

"It most certainly IS my concern. You murdered my son and kidnapped my daughter! THAT is my concern!" Carlisle was snarling, fury rolling off him. "You!" he turned to Caius. "You were behind this, weren't you? You did this all – Edward, Bella, Alice, and Jasper..."

Stefan started laughing. "What is this, Caius? You accuse us of poaching, stealing one measly human slave away from you, while you and your corrupt brethren resort to murder and theft of Coven members? And doing so openly? What of your precious rules?"

"Son and Daughter? Fancy words, Carlisle. Meaningless words," Caius snarled back at Carlisle, ignoring Stefan. "Look at the talent you have created around you." He gestured to the Cullens, who were gathered together behind Carlisle and Jasper, and then over to Bella, where she continued to be held by the guard members. "You are CLEARLY building a coven of strength with the intention of challenging our Rule. THAT is treason, according to our laws! We are well within our rights to take any steps we feel are necessary to maintain order in our world, and you and your coven are a clear threat to that order!"

"You are out of your mind," Carlisle snarled, advancing on Caius. "Edward was my SON. Bella was his MATE – that happened before she was even turned! Jasper and Alice came to us and joined of their own free will. I am building nothing more or less than a FAMILY. We were NO threat to you. YOU threatened US. YOU attacked US when we came to you in trust, and then again on our home territory. You see treason where there is NONE!"

Caius stepped up until he was face-to-face with Carlisle and snarled back at him. "Deny why you are here, then... Deny why you are HERE with these Romanian scum, these long-time plotters of Treason. Deny WHY you are here!"

"We told you the TRUTH. Alice's visions showed us that Bella was traveling through here. We came here to retrieve Bella."

"Retrieve her – so you could continue your plotting. You wouldn't get far with any plans of your own without your pièce de résistance. Too bad that's all about to come to an end..."

Everyone's attention was riveted on the two blond vampires' confrontation. Jasper took advantage of that, increasing their curiosity with the unfolding drama, and then slid even closer to Bella. How he managed it in a room full of vampires was beyond him, but soon he was within easy striking distance of the guard holding Bella's left arm. He couldn't see any of the Cullens very well now without turning his head, which he didn't dare do. He was sending out subtle waves of calm at the two guards holding Bella, trying to lull them into a false sense of security, and it seemed to be working.

His own attention, though, was drawn back to the scene in front of him. Aro had stepped forward and seized Carlisle's hand while Carlisle was yelling at Caius. Everyone froze, anticipation oozing its way around the room. Jasper could tell almost immediately that Aro saw...nothing.

"Interesting," Aro hissed, not letting go of Carlisle's hand. Eyes narrowed, he looked from Carlisle to Bella, who stood still, tight in the grip of her captors. Jasper could see her in his peripheral vision, and there was a faint smirk lurking around her mouth. Jasper thought perhaps only someone familiar with her would see it. Aro did not seem to notice how close Jasper had gotten to the group holding Bella - or if he did, he did not acknowledge it. Perhaps he was distracted by the growl building in Carlisle's throat.

"It would appear you were correct, Brother," he said, turning slightly towards Caius. "We should have destroyed her while we had the chance."

Carlisle's growl deepened and it was joined by the other Cullens standing behind him.

"You always let your curiosity overrule your common sense," Caius said, almost sounding bored. He didn't FEEL bored, though, Jasper noticed. He felt concerned. More than concerned actually - they both felt...fear.

Excellent.

"You're right," Aro sighed. "Such a pity…and a waste." Quicker than a snake strike, he yanked Carlisle to him, his teeth to the blond man's throat.

That was all the signal Jasper needed. As he leapt at Bella's guards, he caught a blurred glimpse of somebody hitting Aro and knocking both him and Carlisle to the ground. He didn't have time to see who it was, let alone if they were successful. He did, however, register the fact that if someone was making physical contact with Aro, it meant Bella was shielding somebody. It wasn't him, though. He could clearly feel the eruption of emotions around him. The aggression, anger, fear, fury – all the lovely emotions of battle that he hadn't felt very much in the last half century – flowed over him, and he basked in their familiarity. _This_ he knew. _This_ he could do.

Jasper flew to the guard on Bella's left side, his teeth tearing out the man's throat before he had a chance to react. On her other side, Emmett had done the same, and Jasper mentally congratulated himself and his brother. As soon as the two guards were decapitated and their heads thrown across the room, Bella was able to jerk free of their still-grasping hands. She kicked away from both headless torsos and enveloped Jasper briefly in her shield - just long enough to send him her thanks. It was gone again just as quickly, leaving him disoriented – and confused. What the hell was she doing? He wheeled around to face the rest of the group and realized that instead of shielding all of them, she must be shielding the Volturi instead - at least the talented ones.

Of course. How stupid of him. Why hadn't he thought of that? It was so obvious now – by shielding the other side instead of their own, it allowed him and Alice better use of their powers on almost everybody. It also allowed Bella to use much less energy.

Clever, clever, Bella, he thought proudly. That was all he had time to think, though, because the fight swept over him in the forms of an enraged Felix and Demetri. Evidently, just as he'd identified various Volturi members as needing to be eliminated first, they'd done their own identifying and he was high on their list. In his peripheral vision, he saw Bella flit to Rosalie's side. He did not see Esme at all or Carlisle. He had no time to worry about it, though, as Felix's teeth sunk into his arm. He managed to kick Demetri across the room and twist out of Felix's grasp, turning and grabbing the huge vampire by the arm and using his own mass against him, flipping him over his shoulder and into the path of two charging guard members.

Taking a deep breath, he quickly tried to take stock of the situation.

It looked like a bar room brawl. Vampire fights, in Jasper's experience, tended to descend quickly to the kill-or-be-killed level, all thought of organized battle disappearing quickly as instinct took over. It appeared that this one was no exception. He'd thought - when they'd been planning and practicing - that it might turn out differently, considering all parties involved were mature vampires – some of whom were thousands of years old. After all, his 'armies' had consisted of battles using newborns and there was never a chance of any organization where they were concerned - it had always been more of a train-them-to-kill, and then point-them-in-the-right-direction sort of strategy. Apparently, though, with age did not come organization - just better skills. He could sense a lot of confusion in the room, more so than was usual for a battle situation, and he thought it might be coming from the Volturi guardsmen. He'd been right about them being accustomed to having Jane's and Alec's powers at their beck and call. Without them, they were forced to scramble, giving the Cullens – and the Romanians – a slight advantage. But it was an advantage that was quickly wearing off, though, as guardsmen – the ones still standing – quickly regrouped and started fighting back.

One thing, at least, was different about this situation when compared to fighting with newborns - even lost in the heat of battle, THESE vampires still recognized their fellow coven members. There was no chance of getting killed by friendly fire here. It was one less thing to worry about. Hopefully, anyway…

Instinct made Jasper jump to one side, barely avoiding Felix who plowed through where he had just been standing, and rational thought disappeared again as he sank into the rhythm of battle. Felix had him on size and power, but Jasper was quicker, and all things considered, he was probably more experienced at actual combat. It made for a fairly even fight - a fact that, with some portion of his mind, Jasper appreciated. But really, what he wanted was to be able to rip the other vampire to shreds and locate Bella. He hadn't seen her since she'd run to Rosalie's side, and he was starting to get concerned. More than concerned. He was starting to feel frantic, and it showed through in the fact that Felix was still in one piece and still landing punches. He had, in fact, added another bite to Jasper's collection, landing a solid one on his upper arm before Jasper was able to dislodge him. He returned the favor a second later but was dislodged by another pair of fighters slamming in to them – Richard and one of the unknown guard members.

It was too fucking crowded in this room, Jasper thought. He'd never done much fighting indoors before. Not with such a large group, anyway. It made things confusing. It also made it impossible to burn one's opponents after dismembering them. All the venom flowing, in such an enclosed space, would prove deadly to all of them should someone light a match. It allowed people to find missing limbs - missing heads. It allowed them to reattach body parts so they could rejoin the fight. While that wasn't something that happened quickly, it was a possibility they had to keep in mind.

Jasper was reminded of it soundly at one point when he saw Alec's torso, which was missing an arm, carefully trying to reattach his head with the remaining arm. Not knowing the state of Bella's shield, he fought free of Felix's grip and dove through an opening of bodies, managing to remove the head once more and tossing it across the room before Felix tackled him again.

Christ, would he NOT be able to get rid of this fucker? Jasper had to admit that the huge vampire was a much better fighter than he'd expected. He hoped the rest of them weren't having the same problems he was having – he couldn't even look away long enough to look for Bella or the rest of his family. The fact that the battle raged on around him was the only sure sign that some of them, at least, were doing alright for themselves. Even identifying them by emotional signature was proving impossible. And Bella...he could tell she was here. He could identify her presence, but no more than that.

Suddenly a shriek rent the air. High above the snarling, snapping, and screaming that had been going on, this one was different, and it spoke of a different sort of pain. It was female, but Jasper couldn't tell who it was coming from – one of the Cullens or one of the Volturi. The room seemed twice as crowded as it had a second before, and when a sharp pain cut into his leg, Jasper looked away from Felix long enough to find out the reason for the sudden crowding.

There was a werewolf with its teeth sunk into his calf. He shook his leg but couldn't dislodge it. Jesus, that hurt. He couldn't reach it with his hands because they were too busy trying to keep Felix away from his throat.

Son of a bitch. Jasper didn't know whether things had just gotten a whole lot better or a whole lot worse. The sounds of fighting changed in tone, with more of the painful shrieks filling the air, as the vampires turned away from each other to face this new threat.

Suddenly Felix's grip around Jasper was gone, the huge vampire distracted now by another opponent. Or, rather, two… Two larger werewolves hit him from the side and pulled him away from Jasper. As soon as his arms were free, Jasper reached down and ignored the tearing pain as he ripped his own problem from his leg. Jasper was pleased to see that a quick twist and jerk – the move he'd perfected in Siberia – quickly removed the creature's head and incapacitated it.

Somebody bumped into him and he spun, prepared to attack, but relaxed slightly when he saw it was Carlisle. Relief flowed through Jasper. Carlisle had a gaping wound in his neck, no doubt from Aro's bite, but other than that he appeared intact. The bite, horrific as it was, was already healing nicely. He was frantic, and didn't seem to notice that he'd bumped in to anybody at all.

"We've got to get out of here!" Jasper shouted to him, grabbing his arm. Carlisle briefly made eye contact and nodded in understanding, but didn't reply. He probably couldn't talk yet, Jasper realized, owing to the location and intensity of the wound. The man was very lucky, and Jasper wondered if he appreciated just how lucky he was. He'd hate to have to be digging around in this mess, looking for a missing head. He hoped the rest of them were this lucky. "Grab everybody and head for the door! Take them to the tower!" Carlisle nodded again and disappeared.

The shrieking that had announced the arrival of the werewolves continued on, and Jasper found himself wondering how the vampire could still be in any condition to make any noise at all. A searing pain in his back had Jasper twisting quickly to dislodge and decapitate another werewolf. There sure were a lot of them, and it seemed like more were arriving through the main doors. While he'd love to stay and play, they really did need to get out. The odds were not good. There were way too many werewolves. He didn't doubt that the vampires would eventually prevail – after all, he and Bella had learned the hard way that the werewolves were not a source of immediate death. It didn't take him more than a split second, though, to form a new strategy. They could let the werewolves have the room, and when the dust settled, they could come back and finish things up.

He caught sight of Alice, dancing around wolves and vampires both. The creatures might block her sight, but nothing interrupted her natural graceful movement. Unlike Carlisle, she looked to be mark-free. It pleased Jasper to see that. "Find Bella and get out of here!" he shouted, touching her arm as he went by. "Get to the tower! Use the side door – there's more coming in the front!"

She nodded, dodging another werewolf who was lunging at her. Jasper kicked it away from him as it turned on him. "Bella is with Rose still, over there last time I saw her!" Alice shouted back, gesturing back behind her.

Jasper nodded to show that he'd heard and headed in that direction after shoving Alice towards the door. Another vampire bumped into him and he saw that it was Richard. The man was leaking venom from what looked to be several claw marks and bites on his right arm and chest, but other than that he seemed to be unharmed. Jasper winced in sympathy – he knew the wounds had to hurt, but the man showed no sign of it. He really was turning out to be a decent vampire. Jasper hesitated for a moment, though, before hissing, "Get out – get your coven out," as he passed by.

He started looking around for Bella and Rosalie, somehow avoiding more werewolves at the same time. It looked like there were three or four for every vampire in the room, but he'd seen them fighting against each other almost as much as they were attacking the vampires. What a freakin' mess.

Suddenly Alice was at his side again.

"I told you to get out!" he yelled.

"Esme!" she shouted, tugging on his hand. "I saw her and Carlisle on my way out! She needs help!"

Jasper let her drag him to the side, where he quickly saw the problem. Esme was curled on the ground, a position very reminiscent of Bella's out on the tundra months earlier. The shrieking from earlier had finally stopped, but Jasper realized he'd found the source of it. Carlisle was pulling werewolves off her, but smelling blood – or venom, in this case – the wolves kept coming, sure of an easy kill. Carlisle couldn't keep up by himself, two or three appearing for every one he tossed away. And they were coming too fast to allow Esme to get up and escape the room, even though the door was only a few yards away.

Jasper and Alice quickly joined in to help, Jasper showing Carlisle, by example, the way to remove the head instead of just tossing them away where they could come back. A few seconds later the area was free of werewolves. Whether they'd been killed or were able to recognize the fact that the target was no longer an easy one really didn't matter to Jasper at this point.

"Out!" he said, shoving all three of them to the door.

"The others..." Alice protested.

"Just get out!" Jasper shouted at her. "I'll get the others! You help Carlisle get Esme out!"

She nodded reluctantly and took advantage of the suddenly empty area of the room, guarding Carlisle's back as he carried Esme. Jasper noticed a single wolf followed them, but he'd have to trust Alice and Carlisle to take care of it. He needed to find his mate and siblings.

It didn't take him long. Relief surged through him as he caught sight of Emmett shouldering his way through the melée. Bella was being herded in front of him, while Rose was hanging on one side. A determined werewolf was being dragged along with them, teeth embedded in Emmett's calf. Jasper couldn't figure out why Emmett didn't get rid of it, but then he saw that his brother was missing an arm. His remaining limb was firmly clamping his mate to his side and Jasper knew there was no way his brother was letting go of Rosalie. So, Emmett was forced to bring along his new friend.

Goddammit.

"Emmett!" Jasper shouted, getting the big man's attention. Emmett nodded and started making his way towards Jasper and the door.

Bella caught sight of Jasper, relief flooding her face. Jasper still couldn't feel a damn thing coming from her, but he didn't care. She was alive and that was all that mattered. She flew to his side and he gave her a brief hug before shoving her on towards the door. A second later he was yanking Emmett's new pet off of his leg and ripping its head off, Emmett nodding his thanks as he dragged Rosalie towards the door - or Rose dragged him, Jasper wasn't sure which. He looked around briefly for Emmett's arm, quickly giving it up as a lost cause.

Jasper slammed the door behind him as he exited the room. Emmett, Rose, and Bella were still outside in the hall. With more than a little relief, Jasper saw the headless corpse of the wolf that had followed Carlisle, Esme, and Alice out of the room.

"What are you waiting for?" Jasper yelled. "Get to the tower!"

"Did you see my arm?" Emmett asked.

"No, I didn't see your arm. Get moving, dammit!" Jasper shouted, reaching into his jeans and pulling out his lighter.

"What the fuck are you doing, asshole?" Emmett shouted, wrenching his arm free of Rosalie and trying to grab the lighter.

"Ending this now, you idiot!" Jasper shouted back. "We'll never have a better chance! They're all in there together – we'll get rid of them at once!'

"My fucking ARM is in there, too!" Emmett shouted, still trying to grab the lighter away from him. "You aren't burning my fucking arm!"

Jasper sighed and put the lighter back. Emmett was right. Sort of. As tactically sound as it was, it wasn't right for him to doom his brother to an eternity with one arm. They could go with his original plan of letting the werewolves do the work, and then finishing up when the dust settled - AFTER they found Emmett's arm. Besides, their allies – shaky as that alliance was – were still in there. It was bad enough that they were abandoning them, but Jasper supposed it would be worse to send them up in flames along with the enemy. He'd done his best, warning Richard to get them out. And Stefan and Vladimir surely could have figured that out for themselves. Actually, he couldn't figure out why there weren't more vampires fleeing the room.

Maybe...maybe Carlisle was right. Maybe he was right about their diet. Maybe not feeding from humans did allow the Cullens to behave differently - to be more capable of rational thought and able to separate from their vampire nature more easily. Maybe the rest of them were so lost in the killing instinct - in their instinct to kill the werewolves and each other - that leaving the room hadn't occurred to them.

Well, it sure was occurring to Jasper. Nothing wrong with falling back and re-grouping.

"Let's go," he said, gesturing down the hall. "To the tower! Those things will figure out pretty quick that somebody's missing and come after us through the other door." He grabbed Bella's hand and took off at full speed for the tower room.

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A/N: I have to say, writing a fight scene is WAY tougher than writing a lemon. The only thing it's got going for it is that other people can read over your shoulder while you're writing it, and that's an okay thing. I had to set the thing up on the table with legos, lincoln logs, and tinker toys. The funny thing is that I found out via an author's note on another story that I'm not the only one to do something like that. SweetT didn't mention anything about HER kids rearranging the characters, though. I kept coming back to the room thinking, "Wait a minute... Bella's not with the legos, she's supposed to be with the tinker toys! How did she get over there with the legos?" Luckily, the 6 year old hasn't noticed some of his toys are now sporting little names on them...

Eclipse! Tonight! At midnight! But first, Kassiah (from over at Twificnews) and I will be going to see Twilight and New Moon. Triple Feature Party. 8 hours in a theatre. Should be fun! I probably won't be able to walk by the time it's done. But just think, we finally get to see Major Whitlock on the big screen!


	48. Chapter 48

A/N SM owns the characters.

Chapter 48

They found Carlisle, Esme, and Alice already in the tower room, behind a barred and locked door. "Let us in!" Jasper yelled, pounding on the door. The door quickly opened, showing a disheveled Carlisle. Venom was still dripping from his neck wound, soaking his shirt. Behind him, Esme lay on the stone floor of the tower room, Alice sitting beside her.

The four of them crowded into the room and Carlisle slammed and barred the door behind them, not saying anything. Rose and Emmett slumped against the wall near the window, and Jasper noticed somebody had closed and locked the shutters on it. It made the room darker, but there was still plenty of light coming in through the missing bricks and roof tiles. Jasper led Bella over to sit against the opposite wall and began inspecting her for signs of damage.

"I'm okay," she whispered. "Go check the others."

Jasper ignored her, continuing to check her over. She had three new vampire bites, but they were on her arms and didn't look very impressive. They were small and not very deep.

"Jane," she whispered when he looked at her questioningly. "The little bitch went down."

Jasper chuckled. "Any more?" he finally asked.

"No," she said, shaking her head, upset.

"That's alright. If you had to only take down one, she was good one to pick. Nothing from the werewolves?" He was surprised. He couldn't imagine how she'd avoided that – his own leg was burning like a mean fucker, and his back wasn't much better.

"No," she said again.

There was more to her story. She was hiding something, he could feel it. Her shield had dropped when the door to the tower shut behind them, and she'd left it down.

"I wanted to kill Caius, but I couldn't find him..." she continued. She was trying to distract him. Jasper knew it.

And he let her. "EVERYBODY wanted to kill Caius," Jasper said, laughing softly again. "I think even his brothers wanted to kill him. I'm sure he's ONE person who won't escape that room. If you're sure you're alright, I'm going to check the others...I'll be right back, though, I promise."

"I'm fine. When you're done, I'll take care of your leg." She looked down to where his pants were ripped, instantly identifying the familiar bite marks.

"Right. Just stay here. I'll be right back." And when he did, he would find out what she was hiding.

He crossed to where Emmett and Rose were and quickly assessed their injuries. Emmett's arm was the most obvious problem, but he also had the werewolf bites on his legs. It looked like the thing had used him as a chew toy. It had probably had to adjust its grip quite a bit as Emmett was dragging it around the room. He was sporting several vampire bites on his remaining arm, but apparently nobody had been able to get closer to him than that.

"It took two of the fuckers to get my arm. GODDAMN that hurt," he said, almost proudly. "And it STILL hurts. Stupid dog bites don't feel much better. Shit, I hope we can find my arm. This sucks."

"We'll find it, baby," Rosalie murmured.

"We will," Jasper agreed. "Once we've cleaned up and healed a bit, we'll go back down and get your arm. I've gotta ask, Emmett, how many...?"

"The guard who had Bella. One of the fuckers who took my arm – he was with that Chelsea chick when she came in. Must be her mate. Afton, I think Eleazer said his name was. One of the wolves. And I got a couple of bites in on Demetri, after you flung him off of you and onto me, Jasper, but...he got away from me, and then I was having to deal with those arm-stealing fuckers."

"What about you, Rose?"

Rose looked embarrassed. "Alec," she said quietly.

"Impressive," Jasper said, smiling.

"Oh, yeah," Rose said, her sarcasm still firmly in place. "Killing a child – very impressive."

"Rose," Emmett said. "He was no child. Well, maybe an evil demon child..."

"Emmett's right," Jasper said. "Alec and Jane are – were - centuries old. They were trained fighters. They were powerful vampires. Taking one of them down – you did well. Very well. Don't be ashamed." He cocked his head and studied her - and her emotions - for a moment. "Rose," Jasper continued quietly, realizing that Rose was so concerned for her mate that she was ignoring her own pain. Jasper could feel it, though. "Turn around – I want to see your back."

Reluctantly, Rose turned around. Her shirt was shredded, revealing the long claw marks that Jasper was so familiar with from Bella's own back. There were two sets of three parallel lines – the result of one animal pulling her down, no doubt - but they were accompanied by some fairly deep bite marks on one of her shoulder blades, where it had gotten a good hold of her once she was down.

"Rose, baby, why didn't you say anything?" Emmett said, growing visibly upset.

"Well, I think your missing arm trumps a few measly dog bites," she groused.

"Not necessarily, Rose," Jasper chided gently. "We need to get those wounds cleaned, and the one's on Emmett's leg. Emmett's arm will heal on its own, once we get it back." Assuming we can find it, he added silently to himself. "Hang on, I'll see what we have for water. It works better if you wash the wounds out before treating them."

"Treat them?" Rose asked, eyebrows raised.

"Yeah, you will have to lick them clean to get all the poison out." He stared at the two of them, daring them to comment.

"Oh, we KNOW..." Emmett said, smirking. "We got a tutorial on werewolf wound treatment a few months ago."

Jasper ignored him and crossed back to where Carlisle was helping Esme and Alice. Alice looked almost wound-free, sporting only a single werewolf bite on her right arm. She was licking it herself, and after looking it over quickly, Jasper thought she might even heal almost scar-free, since there would be no strange venom entering the wound. Apparently her foresight had served her well during the fight against the vampires, failing her only once the werewolves arrived.

"Chelsea?" Jasper asked quietly.

"Yes," she hissed. "That bitch won't be manipulating anybody else. I don't care if she WAS only doing what she was told to do by her masters. What she did – not just to us, but to ANYBODY – was just wrong. Evil and wrong."

Jasper nodded approvingly.

"Water?" he asked, looking around.

Alice wrinkled her nose in distaste. "All we have is what was left from when you and Bella were up here." She glanced over at the metal tub. "All in all, not the cleanest choice. But it's better than nothing. I tore up the sheets to use. There's plenty left. Carlisle said to get a new rag each time – don't introduce werewolf poison into the tub.

Jasper nodded. "Right." He looked over to Emmett and Rosalie, and Emmett nodded at him, indicating that he'd heard Alice, too.

Final stop was Carlisle and Esme. Jasper had guessed it would be bad, based on what he had seen down in the great hall. Now he could tell for sure that Esme taken the worst of the werewolf damage of the group. Carlisle was carefully cleaning her back and legs. She looked almost as bad as Bella had, all those months ago. She lay on her stomach, shuddering in pain, but silent for the most part. Occasionally a pain-filled whimper would escape, and Jasper felt his anger grow with each sound. He wondered why Alice wasn't helping Carlisle with the task – she certainly hadn't taken much damage herself.

"I don't know what happened..." Carlisle's voice cracked, and the emotional pain from him was almost crippling to Jasper. "I couldn't help her...she saved me, there at the beginning, knocking Aro and I to the floor. Stefan was able to pull Aro off me after that. But then Caius appeared. I was fighting him, with Vladimir, trying to get back to her... Next thing I know, there were wolves everywhere...I couldn't find her again. She must have been down at that point."

"Stefan? Vladimir?" Jasper asked quietly.

Carlisle shrugged, clearly not caring about anything but his injured mate. "Don't know what happened to them... She was already down, the wolves went straight for her. I couldn't get them off fast enough...I couldn't save her..." his voice trailed off as he he reached into the bucket of water beside him, drawing out more wet rags.

"Is it enough, the water?" Jasper asked, reaching for a rag to help him. Carlisle tensed and growled, a deep warning rumble in his chest that Jasper had never heard come from him before today. Well, that explained why Alice was keeping her distance. Carlisle was evidently getting in touch with his inner vampire.

Jasper sat back on his heels and Carlisle immediately relaxed, but he did not apologize. "It's not the best – running water would be better, as you already know." Carlisle gave him a small smile. "But it will do. I'll be able to move on to the next step soon – one that I've been assured by a friend has excellent results."

Jasper nodded. If Carlisle wouldn't let him help wash Esme's wounds, he sure as hell wouldn't let him lick them. From what he could see, Carlisle himself was free of werewolf bites, although he was sporting a few vampire bites in addition to the horrible wound in his neck, now almost completely healed. There wasn't anything more he could do here, so he returned to Bella's side.

She'd been paying attention to what was being said, and she was waiting for him with several wet rags. He tried to take them from her, but she slapped his hands away and started cleaning his leg herself. When the bites were as clean as she could get them with the questionable water, she leaned down to finish cleaning them. Suddenly she stopped and looked back up at him.

"What?" Jasper asked.

"I just realized...I mean, you could probably do this yourself, and then you wouldn't have any scars from it, would you?"

Jasper rolled his eyes. "First of all, I'm not a contortionist, so I don't think I actually COULD reach the bites on the outside of my calf, let alone the ones on my back. And second, do you think I care about a few more scars? Especially ones that are there because of you? I mean" he hastened to add "because you were helping me?"

"Hmmm" she hummed, bending down to finish what she started. Jasper hissed at the pain of her venom stinging him, but it wasn't nearly as painful as the poison had been, and it was a relief to have that gone. When she was finished with his leg, she moved around behind him. Removing his shirt, which was pretty shredded on the back, she began to carefully clean those wounds as well. When she was finished, she sat back up and he turned around. He pulled her close to him, nuzzling his face in her hair, inhaling her scent. After a couple of moments of that, he started running his hands over her body, trying to reassure himself that she really was okay.

She crawled into his lap. "I'm still mad at you," she murmured into his neck, licking one of her previous bite marks before nipping him gently and sending shivers down his back.

"That's good," he whispered into her hair. "Because I'm still pretty pissed off at you, too, for running off like that." He nipped at her ear, returning the favor.

"You were rude. And mean."

"Mmmhmmm," he agreed. "I was a dick…and you were impetuous and foolish. You could have been killed."

"You should have been slapped."

"I was slapped. By you."

"You should have been slapped again."

"I was. Several times."

"Good."

They were silent for a moment, ignoring the soft murmurings of the other couples in the room, lost in their own bubble of reassurance.

"I wasn't killed," Bella finally said.

"You could have been. You almost were. Where were you, for so long? Waiting for the Volturi? What did you hope to accomplish? You endangered yourself. You endangered us." Jasper felt himself growing agitated just remembering it, and had to force himself to calm down. He didn't want to rehash this, not here, not now. Not when they'd almost lost each other. He took a deep breath and softened his voice again. "I had to help move boxes. They wouldn't let me go find you" he finished lamely.

"Poor baby," Bella whispered, reaching up to stroke his hair. "I went to find Mstislav. You said he wasn't around, but I knew you were wrong..."

"You did, huh?" Jasper asked, beginning to run one hand up and down her back. "Do you always question what I tell you?"

"Only when you're wrong," she said, nuzzling his neck and beginning to purr softly at his touch.

"And...?"

"And what?"

"Did you find him? It's pretty obvious his friends made the journey, but I didn't smell him in that room downstairs."

"I DID find him," Bella confirmed.

"Really?" Jasper said, surprised. He pulled back from her, and she whimpered a bit at the loss of contact.

"Really really" she nodded, grasping his shoulders and pulling him back to her. "He said to tell you hello, and to say he really didn't' regret missing the fun, as he was beginning to like you."

"How was he able to not come here with the rest of them?"

"I have no idea. Well, I guess I sort of know. I found him in the woods, and I went to talk to him. I wasn't afraid of him because he was still human. And I wanted to know what was going on. He didn't say much, other than what I just told you. He told the men they had the right castle and that he would see them in a few days. He told me it was a pleasure doing business with us. Then he left. I followed him and saw him get in a waiting car. There were two more men in the car. They drove away."

"What about the two men who were with him?" Jasper pulled her closer so that she was in his lap - one hand holding her firmly by the waist, the other stroking her arm softly.

She shrugged. "I didn't care about them. They were wolves, Jasper." She relaxed into his hold, pressing her face into his chest and resuming her purring.

"Yeah, I figured that out, Bella." He started nuzzling her hair again.

"There were a LOT of people like them in the woods. I ran across lots of not-so-human trails..."

"How did you get caught by the Volturi? Why didn't you just come straight back...after you talked to Mstislav?"

"Well, I was going to...but then I started thinking." She stopped talking.

"Thinking?" he said encouragingly.

"Yeah...I tried to think what YOU would do, if you were in my place."

"I would have come back to my family, Bella."

"No, you wouldn't," she said, sureness in her voice. "Not if you thought it wasn't the best thing."

Well, she had him there.

"I knew the Volturi were coming, and I thought there might be some chance that they would…I don't know, want to check out the area before going to the castle. And then they would smell the wolves, and it would ruin the surprise. I mean, the wolves were going to surprise EVERYBODY, and it might have ended up being a disaster for all of us. But I couldn't stop the wolves by myself. So...I tried to make it work for us."

Again she fell silent, and Jasper knew she was waiting for some sort of sign of encouragement from him.

"That was logical thinking, Bella. So what did you do?"

She smiled against him, and he felt her pleasure at his words. "So…I waited along the road, really far out, up in the trees. Because Alice said she saw them coming by car. And then the cars came by, and I stayed in the trees and followed them for a while. And I was right – they DID stop, and they all got out and started talking. I stayed down wind of them, up in the trees. And they stopped somewhere where there weren't ANY werewolf smells. THAT was just luck."

"Luck plays a large part in more plans than you'd think. And they might not have noticed the wolf smell, anyway – this late in the cycle, they smell almost human."

"Well, they were starting to stink. I think maybe they start smelling before they change... Anyway, they got out of the cars and started splitting up. Some of them continued on to the castle in the cars, and the rest were going to circle the castle to make sure nobody was trying to escape. So I waited until the cars drove off, and then I followed the group that was left behind. I had to stop them from smelling anything..."

"You should have just come back, Bella," Jasper reprimanded her again.

Bella snorted and continued.

"No, I shouldn't have. And you know it. If it had been anybody but me - if it had been Emmett or Carlisle - you would say they did the right thing."

"Emmett and Carlisle don't have quite the same relationship with the Volturi as you do," he reminded her. "You were playing with fire."

"But don't you see? That's why it WORKED! It wouldn't have worked for anybody else – for anybody else, they probably would have just been killed as soon as the Volturi saw them."

"They COULD have killed you, Bella. You may be immune to their powers, but you aren't immune to physical violence."

"But they WANTED me, Jasper. I KNEW they wanted me – and I knew Jane wouldn't allow just anybody to take me back to Aro – she'd want that honor for herself. So I dropped to the ground and started stumbling around, and I let them catch me." She was starting to sound very pleased with herself, and Jasper rolled his eyes, glad she couldn't see him do it. She was still telling her story directly into his chest, not willing to make eye contact yet.

"Well, you were right about that," he said, waiting for her to continue.

"I was. So THAT group had to split up, too. And Jane, Alec, and Demetri argued about who was going to take me to the castle, and finally they decided all three of them would. They had the two guardsmen hold me so I couldn't get away."

"So they really didn't know you'd come from the castle?"

Bella shook her head. "I don't think so. I came in from the east, and I kept mumbling stuff about finding Edward..." Bella grew quiet again, and Jasper felt the sorrow for her lost mate well up in her again. He tightened his hold on her.

"That was very clever, Bella. And very brave. And it all worked out okay..." Jasper looked around the room at his family, literally licking their wounds and trying to come to terms with what had just happened. "At least, it worked out as good as could be expected. Actually, it worked out better than I expected."

For a few minutes they sat in silence, enjoying the physical contact. "There's one thing more I don't understand, though, Bella..."

"What?" she whispered.

"How did you escape getting any more damage?" Jasper knew she could be a vicious thing, and he had no doubt she could have taken out more than just Jane. But he found it very odd that she was virtually mark-free. She didn't have Alice's powers allowing her to avoid most attacks.

Bella tensed in his arms. A-ha! This was it, whatever it was. This was what she was hiding.

"What, babe? Are you going to tell me you hid behind the curtains?" he said, trying to get her to laugh.

"I didn't hide," she said. "Aro...Aro grabbed me. After Esme knocked him off Carlisle, Stefan attacked him – they were right next to Jane and me, and I saw it - or most of it anyway. I pulled Jane's head off, and then Stefan was gone, and Aro grabbed me and tried to drag me out of the room. He tried, but I was fighting him. I wasn't going to win, though, I could tell – he was better than Stefan, I think. Obviously, since he was able to shake him off."

"Did he hurt you?" Jasper growled. His growl was echoed by the others in the room, who obviously had started listening to her story.

"No," she said, shaking her head. "He wanted me in one piece. Otherwise I'd be torn apart now."

"Amazing," Carlisle said quietly from the other side of the room. "Even in the midst of chaos and the threat of losing his entire coven looming over him, Aro cannot resist - cannot pass up - the chance to acquire."

"How did you get away from him?"

"We were almost out the door... I tried to get away, I really did. He's a lot stronger than he looks, by the way. Anyway, we were almost out when the wolves came barreling through. He ran us to the other side of the room, but two of the wolves knocked him over and he dropped me. Then I found Rose again, and I tried to pull the wolf off her, and then Emmett showed up and got it off, and then we found you."

Jasper pulled her to him even tighter. He had come so close to losing her again, and he hadn't even known it. If Aro had gotten out the door...well, there's no telling what would have happened. The wolves would have still been out there, and they surely would have taken the two of them out. It didn't bear thinking about.

"Jasper," Carlisle whispered, his voice sounding almost back to normal. "We have company. Something is on the stairs..."

Jasper was at the door in an instant, Bella by his side.

"NO," he hissed at Bella, pointing back over to the far wall. She looked mutinous but didn't argue with him. She did, however, go to Esme's side, instead of returning to their spot. "No, not you, either, Carlisle," Jasper said when Carlisle stood to join him. "Emmett. Alice."

The two were with him in an instant. He hated to call on Emmett, but even with only one arm, he would be a powerful fighter. And Alice had the advantage of being a gifted fighter - and werewolf-bite free. He glanced down at her questioningly, and she shook her head.

"I don't see anything."

"Werewolf, then..." Jasper said and opened the door.

Sure enough, coming up the steps were the slinking figures of two werewolves. With a guttural roar, Emmett launched himself down the steps, barreling into them and knocking them back down to the bottom. Jasper shook his head. Emmett always lacked form and finesse. In an instant, he and Alice joined the big vampire, and they managed to dispatch the two creatures without receiving any bites themselves. Now at the bottom of the steps, all three looked towards the keep, where the sound of a continuing battle clearly sounded, and then back up at the silent tower.

"Should we...?" Alice asked quietly.

"Oh, come on Jasper," Emmett whispered. "My arm... we could just slip in, grab it, get out..."

"Emmett, we'd be just as likely to grab somebody ELSE'S arm. How would you like to spend eternity with Jane's arm on your body?" Jasper asked him.

Emmett looked shocked at the idea. "Is that even possible?"

"No. Now, come on. We go back up and wait. And heal. If we're lucky, they'll all kill each other, and then we can go home."

"And if we aren't lucky?"

"Well, they'll be severely weakened, and we can decide what to do then."

A/N 1: I'd like to thank arfess96 for bidding and winning my writing services in the FGB Auction! I'm honored, and look forward to doing my best on whatever she requests!

A/N 2: I REALLY intended to post this chapter Saturday. I was on vacation, but the hotel SAID it had free wireless. And it did. I got a LOVELY signal. Unfortunately, there was no internet streaming on said signal. And the nice lady at the desk had no idea what was wrong, how to fix it, or when it WOULD be fixed. Driving to McDonalds at midnight to upload the chapter may sound reasonable to me, and to the rest of YOU crazy people. But, alas, it does not sound reasonable to my spouse. Go figure. So here it is. And the remaining chapters...they are in the works, and will be out soon. Not by Saturday, though. I think I'm having issues with this ending...

A/N 3: It seems like an eternity ago, but I LOVED Eclipse. And I had a blast seeing the triple-feature with Kassiah, from Twificnews. Even if she IS an Edward girl, through and through, and refuses to read Jasper/Bella. *sigh* Next time, we're smuggling chinese take-out into the theatre. The brownies were great, but after several hours, we really needed some Real Food.


	49. Chapter 49

A/N SM owns the characters. Longer note at bottom...

Chapter 49

The Cullens waited in near silence in the tower. When they'd gotten back up from dispatching the two werewolves, Jasper had opened the shutters and Alice had perched herself in the window, listening for the sounds of fighting to die down. They remembered Jasper's story of his and Bella's premature exit from the silo, and even if they hadn't, Jasper was right there to remind them.

Finally they heard the faint sound of voices coming from down below, and they recognized Aro's thready voice amongst them. Alice was getting brief flashes of visions – not enough to tell them anything important, other than the fact that the werewolves must have been dispatched, allowing her to have the visions in the first place. Their vampire-inflicted wounds, with the exception of Carlisle's throat and Emmett's arm, had all but healed up. The wounds from the werewolves were not healing as well, but Jasper didn't want to wait too long. He pointed out to them all that the more time THEY took to heal, the longer the others, still downstairs, would have time to heal. He really didn't think it was going to be a problem, though - anybody left down there, even though they weren't burnt to ashes, had to have experienced far worse werewolf damage than the Cullens had, thanks to their early escape. They were all horribly thirsty. But, again, there wasn't an easy answer to that. He was sure that the few deer left in the stables had been slaughtered by werewolves.

"They may be healing," Jasper warned them. "When we go in there - IF we go in there - be aware of this. There will not have been the burning that normally takes place during and after a battle like this. There will be...parts. And those parts will be attempting to re-assemble. The easiest thing to do, if you see this happening, is to separate the parts. Distance. Don't give them a chance to fully re-assemble." Esme looked a little ill at this, but Jasper thought it might be because she was still in a lot of pain from her werewolf-inflicted wounds. He looked over at Bella, but she was expressionless. Her emotions, though, told another story. He continued on.

"I do not know how their powers will have been affected by the damage done to them. Usually in times such as this, the vampire will be concerned ONLY with their own safety. The act of putting themselves back together will be their only concern. I am GUESSING," he stressed the word, making quick eye contact with all of them, "that this would mean – if you were to attempt to, say, take Jane's arms away from her, she might drop you. But she would not do so on Aro's orders. Again, I am just guessing."

"We could gather the limbs and...pieces...and burn them outside," Rose suggested.

"As long as we find my arm before you light the match," Emmett muttered.

"That's a good idea, Rose," Jasper said, nodding.

"Let's find out what's going on first," Carlisle interjected firmly, "before we start burning people."

Jasper stared at him in disbelief. Evidently Carlisle-the-Vampire was gone again.

Carlisle stared back at Jasper. "I would like to get as much information from the survivors as possible before you go torching the ruling class, Jasper. As tempting as that will be, it will leave a rather large power vacuum. And that is never a good thing – especially in our world."

Jasper didn't agree, but he also couldn't come up with a rebuttal. He knew that wiping out the three brothers and their best guard members would send the vampire world into an uproar. He also knew that at this point it was either the Volturi or the Cullens. One of them had to go, and he sure as hell didn't intend to die just to maintain the status quo.

With that in mind, he decided not to reply to Carlisle, instead choosing to nod, indicating that he had at least heard what Carlisle had said.

There was some disagreement about what to do next. The men wanted to go investigate, leaving the women behind in the tower. The women refused to remain behind, though – even Esme, who was still in considerable pain. Finally it was agreed they'd go together, the men going first. Carlisle slowly opened the door, and Jasper and Emmett quickly leaped onto the landing, preparing to attack if needed, even though their vampire senses told them nothing was out there. After a moment, Jasper stuck his head back in the room.

"It's clear. Come out."

The rest of them cautiously exited the room and descended the steps, Alice and Bella helping Esme along. At the bottom they stepped over the corpses of the two werewolves that Jasper, Alice, and Emmett had killed earlier. They all paused to look the bodies over before following Jasper as he cautiously crossed the courtyard. Emmett fell back to cover the rear of the group, accompanied by Rose. They soon came across two more headless werewolf corpses, and Jasper leaned over closer to sniff them.

"Recognize them?" Carlisle asked quietly.

Jasper shook his head. "Nope. Nobody I've run into. How 'bout you, Bella?" he asked. He didn't really expect her to remember any particular scent from her time on Kamchatka, but it didn't hurt to get her input.

She stepped forward cautiously and sniffed the corpses, imitating Jasper. Her nose wrinkled and she shook her head. "No. I don't remember them."

"Alright then, shall we?"

They continued across the courtyard, where three more corpses were scattered around the open door to the keep, all headless. Jasper checked them over quickly, and then moved on to the doorway to the main hall, where the sounds of distressed voices were coming from.

Jasper and Carlisle led the way into the building, and Bella was right behind them, ready to use her shield. The vampires might be damaged, but Jasper feared that the talented ones could have had time to repair themselves and become a threat once more. He knew there was no way they could have pulled themselves together and been in as good of shape as the Cullens were, but he didn't want to take any chances. Emmett still brought up the rear in a defensive role, venom continuing to leak slowly down his side from his missing arm. Jasper and Carlisle halted in the doorway, and Jasper held his arms up to prevent anyone from passing him.

"We're going to go in and evaluate the situation. Do NOT speak to anybody," he instructed, eying each of them in turn. "Avoid touching anybody, too, unless it's to move parts, like we discussed. Once we've determined it's safe, we need to find Emmett's arm, understand? We can't do what we need to do until we find that arm."

"Yes, PLEASE!" Emmett said softly from his position at the rear of the group.

Beside Jasper, Carlisle winced. He knew what Jasper thought was necessary, but he wasn't happy about it. Jasper could tell, though, that Carlisle wasn't going to prevent it, either.

Chaos greeted them. There were bodies everywhere – mostly werewolves, but there were vampires, too, interspersed with them. There were two guard members up and walking around, but they appeared to be looking for appendages. Three more – Demetri, Afton, and Felix – were sitting up. None of them even glanced at the Cullens. Aro sat on the top step, his head in his hands, mumbling to himself. There was no sign of Renata, his personal shield. Caius sat nearby. Jasper saw Stefan on the far side of the dais.

"Stay here," Jasper ordered, looking at the women. He kept his voice soft, but even so, it was clear he expected no argument. "Emmett, stay with them. Bella, you too – but pay attention in case we need you."

Bella nodded, and the other women murmured their assent. Emmett just grunted. He was looking up and down the hall nervously, expecting more wolves to appear at any moment. He'd made a bit of a stink about leaving the fight early once their wounds had begun to heal, but being confronted with its aftermath was another matter.

Jasper and Carlisle headed to the dais - and Stefan's side - first. He was standing over the body of his brother. Carlisle crouched down to examine Vladimir.

"Take him out of here," Carlisle told Stefan softly. "Take him back to his quarters. He's not going to die, but he's going to need your help in order to heal. You'll have to clean the wounds, and the best way to do it is to use lots of water, and then use venom to clean them further. It will help in the sealing, too." He glanced at Jasper for confirmation, and Jasper nodded stiffly.

Stephen nodded. "I understand. Will you come check, later...? He's my brother...my last brother," he trailed off, looking down at Vladimir, who lay almost still. The only sign that he was still alive was the occasional twitching of his limbs. He glanced over to where Aro sat. "At least, the last brother that matters to me," he added.

Jasper looked Vladimir over carefully too. "He should be fine – just treat him quickly. He's probably in a lot of pain, though. Bella was damaged much worse, and Esme was at least this bad... If you help him and do what Carlisle said to do, he should be fine. The poison from the werewolves – I don't think it actually kills us... I don't know, though, what would happen if it went untreated for too long." He winced, remembering the pain of his own wounds and the horror that Bella had gone through.

Stefan nodded again, and then picked his brother up, making his way to leave.

"Wait!" Carlisle said, putting his hand on Stefan's arm to stop him. "Where are Richard, Edmond, and Marton?"

Stefan looked around, still dazed. "I don't know... I saw Richard chase some of the wolves out into the hall. The other two…I don't know where they went. I haven't seen them since early in the fight..."

Carlisle nodded and released him. "Alright. We'll look for them in a little bit. Go now."

Stefan made his way carefully across the venom-slick floor, trying to not drop his brother, and left the room. Carlisle watched him go, and then turned and crossed to Aro, who appeared to be the only other fully-functioning person left in the hall, aside from Stephan. Even he was sporting several wounds, a few of which appeared to be werewolf bites.

"Well?" Carlisle asked him, his voice harsh now. "Are you happy?"

Aro looked up at him, and then stood up, glaring. "Am I HAPPY?" He flung his arm out, indicating the damage around them. "I should ask YOU the same thing, Carlisle! Are YOU happy with what you've wrought here?"

"What I'VE wrought?" Carlisle asked, astounded. "And how, exactly, do you figure this was MY doing?"

"It was YOUR 'daughter' and 'son' who brought this down on us. THEY brought these creatures with them," Aro spat.

"NONE of us would be here, Aro, if it wasn't for YOU and YOUR manipulations," Carlisle hissed back, his stance lowering ever so slightly into a fighting crouch. Beside him, Jasper found himself also crouching down, preparing to spring and defend his coven leader. "MY children were merely returning to their family, so anything that followed them was none of their doing. And you had no good reason to be here! If you'd stayed in Volterra, this never would have happened to your people!"

Aro snorted. "Are you blind, Carlisle? Do you really think she wouldn't have brought them right into Volterra with her?" He glanced over Carlisle's shoulder at the women standing in the doorway. "That bitch would have killed us in our home, if not here…"

Jasper was on him in an instant, grabbing him by the throat and lifting him off the ground. "That 'bitch' had every right to avenge her mate, who YOU killed!"

Aro grabbed Jasper's wrist and wrenched his hand away from his throat. He stumbled back and away from him. "I had NOTHING to do with the death of her mate." Aro's eyes flickered over to Caius, who was sitting on the floor and trying to reattach one of his hands. It didn't seem to be going well – it had evidently been gnawed off by a werewolf. Jasper followed his glance and sneered.

"Maybe YOU didn't, but ONE of you did. And it makes you ALL guilty, as far as I'm concerned."

Caius looked up, eyes narrowed. "I should have had the bitch killed at the same time her mate was. I knew it was a mistake to let her live, but Aro thought we could change her mind." He glared at his brother. "Stupid fool!" He then turned his attention back to his hand.

Jasper started to make his way over to him, but Carlisle grabbed his arm, stopping him.

"Why, Aro?" Carlisle asked, looking at his one-time friend.

"Why?" Caius said, looking up from his hand again. "WHY? Because, Carlisle, you are dangerous. Your ideas are dangerous. Your lifestyle is dangerous. This coven - this 'family' - that you have built for yourself is dangerous." He waved his intact hand around the room, his severed one flopping in its grip in a gruesomely humorous way. "Just look at this! Look and tell me you aren't a danger to us or to our way of life!"

Carlisle glanced at him in disdain. "I've already said, Caius, that you see a threat where there is none. I know YOUR reasons for doing what you did, not that I care, but I want to know Aro's." He turned back to Aro. "Why did YOU allow it to happen? You knew what was going on, even if it was just a hint. Alice saw that your brothers were avoiding your touch, and yet you chose to not stop it." He looked across to where Marcus lay, alone and unmoving, on the other side of the room. "You, Aro, of all people, KNEW we were no threat to you, but you allowed this to go unchecked. YOU brought us all here to this…this…destruction!"

Again it was Caius who spoke, not Aro. Jasper felt Carlisle's frustration growing with Aro's continued silence and Caius' continued interruptions.

"My brother is a fool, a sentimental fool… He's almost as bad as you, Carlisle. He refused to admit that your family was a threat of any kind, and it was left up to me to take care of things, to eliminate the threat that you and yours caused. So I did. I kept the bitch alive, hoping to appease him, hoping to break her, hoping she'd bow to Chelsea's power and become something we could use. It was a mistake of course." He looked around and then spat, "I knew her power was too dangerous, her shield too strong. If she wasn't one of us, she would always be a threat to us. I should have just destroyed her when I had the chance, before she had a chance to grow so powerful."

"She never would have been a threat if you'd just left them alone," Carlisle said softly.

Aro snorted - the first sound he'd made since he'd spoken to Jasper. "Never is a long time, Carlisle," he said softly. "Can you honestly say that there would NEVER come a time when you would have been willing to use her shield against us?"

"I can honestly say I would never have had her use her shield against you if you gave me no reason to."

Aro stared at him. "Eternity is a long time, my friend. There are no guarantees of what would happen in the future." He looked away, breaking eye contact with Carlisle. "My brother was right, much as it pains me to say it. We should have destroyed her. I should have listened to him." He glanced around the room, and then zeroed in on the rest of the Cullens still standing in the doorway.

Oh, fuck no. Jasper didn't need Alice's gift to see what was going to happen, and he didn't need Alice's warning scream either. He lunged at Aro, but Aro was quicker, and he was gone before Jasper could grab him. Carlisle, however, was quicker than both of them, and he slammed into Aro, knocking him out of the way before he could get to Bella.

Jasper joined Carlisle a second later. Aro might have been a formidable fighter, but between being wounded and being faced with two enraged vampires defending their mate and daughter, he stood no chance. Jasper had no sooner ripped his head off, though, when Caius and Demetri hit Carlisle, knocking him across the room. Before Jasper could register what had happened, all three had tumbled out the door in a snapping, snarling tangle.

He was after them in an instant, but when he got to the door he was hit in the chest by Demetri's severed head. Tossing it behind him, he turned to the rest of the Cullens, who were still standing just inside the doorway. It had all happened so fast that he could tell they hadn't even fully processed what they'd seen.

"EMMETT! ALICE!" Jasper shouted. "AFTER THEM!" He felt bad for sending Emmett, but again, he was the best choice aside from himself – even with only one arm.

The group had been watching the events unfold before them in shock, debating on whether to step in and help, or continue to follow Jasper's original orders. Emmett and Alice immediately shook themselves into alertness and wheeled around to follow Carlisle and Caius out the door.

"Rose, Esme, Bella! Find Emmett's arm. Now!"

They nodded and started quickly going through the torn up vampires on the floor, flinging bits and pieces behind them as they went, and picking up larger pieces and looking underneath them. All the while they had to avoid snapping teeth and grasping hands.

It looked-and felt-like something out of a horror movie, Jasper thought, and he laughed to himself. They were ALL something out of a horror movie, but the scene in this room really drove it home. If it wasn't for the overall sense of relief he was feeling on their apparent victory, the emotions coming from the losers in the room would have brought him to his knees. As it was, though, he was riding a wave of euphoria brought on by the fact that he and his were still alive, nothing but the mopping up left to take care of. Although, it was always a good idea not to let one's guard down until the smoke was cleared.

Turning away from the door, his foot nudged something and he felt teeth clamp down on his foot. Looking down, he saw Jane's head, now firmly attached to his boot.

She was, Jasper thought, creepier in parts than she was whole. Her red eyes glared up at him in hatred, and it was with no small amount of glee that he dislodged her using his other foot, and then proceeded to kick her across the room. Her head hit the wall, rebounded to the floor, and rolled behind a pillar. It was more than a little satisfying, and he savored the feeling for a moment.

He started searching for Emmett's arm, too, his eyes flickering between the parts scattered around the floor and the group of women who were sticking close together, searching on the other side of the room. Suddenly, though, there were only two in the group.

Jasper looked around frantically and finally caught sight of Bella crouched over Marcus' form on the floor off to the side of the room. He was instantly at her side but refrained from touching her or saying anything. Instead, he stood protectively over her and watched the room around them, letting her take care of whatever it was she was doing. He sure as hell hoped that Carlisle, Emmett, and Alice could handle a one-handed Caius because there was no way he was leaving Bella here, and he was pretty damn sure she wouldn't let him take her out until she was done doing whatever it was she needed to do.

Marcus opened his eyes and smiled upon seeing her there, crouched down and looking at him.

"So, you came back," he said, his voice sounding raspy, his throat damaged from the bite marks in his neck, which refused to heal.

"I did," she said. "As you knew I would..."

"I didn't know...but I hoped."

"You let me go on purpose. You knew I'd come back. You knew I'd want revenge. You used me…"

"I did." He smiled a bit, looking almost regretful.

"I don't understand..." she trailed off, but he seemed to know what she wanted.

"I couldn't kill myself," he rasped. "Chelsea...I was trapped. I've been trapped...for so long. When Caius killed your mate and took you, I saw my chance... It was hard, so hard, to work things...work around the bonds she placed on me... Caius was such a fool. I told him, warned him, not to kill the boy…playing with fire. I'd never seen such a strong bond as there was between you and your mate. It was an opportunity I couldn't pass up."

Bella shook her head. "I don't understand. Why did you...why send me so far away? Why not just let me loose in Volterra?"

Marcus looked around them at the destruction in the hall. "Could you have done this, mia Bella? I think not. You have a powerful gift. But it is a defensive gift, not an offensive one, child. It was a theory, a hope...and it worked."

"You used me. You weren't rescuing me, setting me free, at all. You were using me for your OWN revenge," she said, anger rising in her voice.

He tried to shrug. "Would you not have done the same? DID you not do the same? We do anything for our mates, child."

"You counted on that. You KNEW!"

"I did," he affirmed. "We've lived a long time, mia Bella. We know much about our kind. We know how far a mate will go to avenge its destroyed partner. I counted on you coming back, on overcoming whatever odds stood between you and us. Such a beautiful bond you had, such a horrible waste. The rest, the wolves... I hoped, perhaps, they would follow. There'd been reports of a resurgence in that part of the world." He smiled, the first she'd ever seen on his face. "It worked so much better than I could have hoped."

"And if it hadn't worked, what then? What would you have done then?"

Marcus shrugged. "I have eternity, mia Bella. Something else, someone else, some other opportunity would have eventually come along..."

"Why ME? Why now? Was I even the first... Was this the first time you tried?"

Marcus looked away. "You were. I didn't know who killed my Didyme until recently. All this time...all these centuries...Aro lied. He'd told me it was our brothers here in the mountains. We even came to them, me leading the army, to destroy them, all in the name of revenge for my Didyme. All for a lie..." He sighed. "Another way I was used, I suppose."

"But didn't you KNOW who killed her?"

"Did you KNOW who killed your Edward, mia Bella? Or were you just pulled back this way because you knew this was where he died? Have you not, in your short life, already encountered another who tried to exact revenge - indeed, someone who gave her own life to do so – on the wrong person?"

"Victoria," she whispered.

"Yes. The red-headed one. Did she not believe your mate had killed HER mate, when in reality it was this one and the other brother?" Marcus glanced at Jasper for the first time. "But she was convinced it was your Edward. Revenge, child - it's what we do."

Bella looked at Jasper, and then she looked back at Marcus. "But...it doesn't have to be like that! I...Jasper..." she trailed off.

Marcus looked between them again and smiled. "Yes, I can see that. At least something has come from our manipulations. Something grows out of the destruction we've wrought. I have never seen this before. Perhaps it is something else made possible by Carlisle's adherence to such odd ways." He closed his eyes and sighed. "The tie is faint, but it is definitely there. You are both very fortunate."

"But maybe you could..."

"No. I want only the oblivion I have been seeking for centuries now."

"But...you're not dead. It didn't work."

"What do you have in your hand, child?" he asked.

She looked down, and Jasper glanced down too. It was a lighter. His lighter.

"Bella, no..." Jasper said, speaking for the first time and glancing quickly around them. There was venom everywhere, covering the damaged vampires. The floor was slick with it.

"It CAN work," Marcus said. "Please..."

Bella shook her head and tightened her grip on the lighter. "No. I won't do it. I'm not a killer. I thought I was. I fantasized about it. I wanted to kill you all. But now...I don't need revenge anymore... I have a new mate." She glanced up at Jasper, and Marcus followed the movement.

"I see that. I am happy for you, mia Bella. So happy."

"You could find someone, too, Marcus," she urged again, turning back to look at him. "You can! You're free from Chelsea now." She looked across the room to where the vampire in question was being held by her mate, Afton, the big male carefully cleaning and sealing her many wounds. "You can escape, get away, find a new love..."

"Ah, mia Bella! So young, so hopeful... That road is not for me. I have been too long with my memories of Didyme. For the young, it IS possible – even for your warrior, who is, after all, still young. For me, though...I think not."

"I can't kill you, Marcus," she whispered. "I'm sorry. I can't. I can forgive you...forgive you what you did. You set me free, even if it was for your own selfish reasons. You set me free, and I was able to start healing because of it..."

"Then thank me, mia Bella. Please...do this for me."

"No. I can't." She stood up and turned away from Marcus and into Jasper's waiting arms. They started to walk away, but Marcus' voice stopped them.

"You owe me. It was because of you – and your mate – that I found out who really killed Didyme."

Bella tensed but did not turn back to look at him.

"I would have gone on unhappily ignorant for all eternity, but the mind-reader came, came to die that first time, thinking his human mate had perished. And when he did, he saw things in Aro's head…in Caius' head…"

Marcus stopped for a moment, and Jasper thought he wouldn't go on. He tried to decide if he WANTED him to go on or if they were just better off not knowing.

"Aro knew the boy had seen his secrets. Concerned, he consulted with Caius, trying to decide what to do now that someone knew a secret they'd kept hidden for so long. I overheard them, of course, though I wasn't meant to. After so many centuries, I suppose I had rather faded into the background…and they'd become careless." Marcus sighed.

"Aro argued no harm would come from it – after all, why would someone from Carlisle's coven care about such a thing? It was no secret what Carlisle thought of us, and it was to be assumed he would have taught his coven to feel the same way. Such information would only confirm such thoughts. Caius, of course, wanted to track Edward down and destroy him before the information could be used against them. They never did come to an agreement. So you see, child, before Edward's initial visit, I was alone and in mourning for a mate that was gone, and trapped by Chelsea's false bonds of loyalty. But at least I was able to treasure my memories of my mate, knowing I had successfully avenged her death. After...it was torture knowing her killer was still alive. My brother – HER own brother – was not only alive, but by my side and claiming kinship with me through the centuries. That pull - the one you knew so well - was awakened once again, only now I had no way of quenching it. Please..."

Bella turned her head and started to walk away again. She never looked back at Marcus. She seemed smaller somehow, defeated. Jasper put his arm around her waist, leading her away, but as he did so he heard the clink of metal on stone, followed by Marcus' whispered "thank you".

"OUT!" Jasper shouted. "GET OUT! GET OUT! EVERYBODY OUT!"

***********R****************R*****************

A/N Yeah, so I'm in updating failure. Don't fear, people, I'm still alive. BUT, I, um, well, found out we're moving. Not a cross-town-new-apartment friends-with-trucks move, but an out of state, new town, new house, LOTS of years of accumlated crap type move. And we have to be there in two weeks for the kids to start school on time. Or, at least, Hubs and two kids have to be. I'll be staying where I am w/ the oldest for another month. It was a stressful spring, and now its a stressful summer. So, while I KNOW what happens in the story, it's taking me longer to actually get it written down in a format that doesn't sound really really really bad. In fact, at this point, I'm hoping to just write it bad. Or may really bad. But not really really really bad. So just stick with me, and I'll write, just a little slower. And JaspersDestiny will beta. And we'll get it out to you as soon as we can. There's really not much left... I know I keep saying that, but then the characters get to talking, and things get drawn out... Maybe I just don't want it to end!


	50. Chapter 50

**A/N** I don't own the characters, SM does. Well, I do own a certain werewolf. And I own the plot. But it doesn't pay well. I won't be quitting my day job any time soon, let me tell you.

I'd like to thank everybody for your amazing patience - not that you really have a choice, but you are very understanding. I must say, we are an amazingly mobile group of people. I was shocked at the number of people who told me they have either just moved, are in the process of moving, or will be moving in the near future. Really, really shocked. We need to all go out and get a beer when the dust is settled and the boxes are unpacked. That being said, my move is NOT done. But it is getting there.

I'd like to thank IdreamofEddy for helping me choose the lucky winner of the missing limb contest - I forgot to mention that back when it happened. You're right babe, he really was the best man for the job. And I'd like to thank Super Beta for what Rose and Esme end up doing here in a few paragraphs...

Chapter 50

Rose's head whipped around at Jasper's yell. Her expression said she had no idea what was causing Jasper's panic, but she sure as hell wasn't going to stop and ask. "Come on!" she yelled at Esme, who was shifting one of the fallen guard members. They both stood, and then ran for the door, grabbing random arms as they went. Jasper grabbed Bella and slung her over his shoulder as he ran. A few of the guard followed, and they all aimed for the open front door of the castle.

Behind them, the superheated fire that could only come from vampire venom exploded out of the hall. Screams from within the hall made Esme and Rose pause, but Jasper shoved them through the door. When they were safely outside, he set Bella down and they all turned to watch as flames shot out of the now broken windows in the hall, and more flames followed the trail of venom, which led out of the hall and outside. It took some fast thinking on Jasper's part to quickly wipe the venom trails away so that the wounded vampires who'd managed to escape didn't go up in flames from the trail of fire following them, and possibly taking the Cullens along with them.

After that was taken care of, though, there was nothing for them to do but watch in horror as the castle burned.

"My God," Esme whispered. "Is anybody left? Could anybody have survived that?"

Rose shrugged. "I don't know..." She looked at Jasper. "Stefan and Vladimir...?"

Jasper looked at the other wing of the castle, which was still untouched by the fire. "Their quarters are over there. They might make it in time, but they better get out of the building before it spreads. I'm sure as hell not going in after them."

Suddenly Alice and Emmett were there. Emmett grabbed Rose and pulled her into a one-armed embrace, and Esme hugged Alice.

"Where's Carlisle?" Esme whispered, fear in her voice.

"We couldn't catch up to him and Caius, and then we saw the fire... Carlisle will see it, too, and come back. He's alright," Alice said, and Esme sighed in relief.

Emmett stared at the fire, and then he looked over at Bella. "Remind me to never get on YOUR shit list. I can't believe you blew up the Volturi."

"I didn't blow them up," Bella said. "Marcus blew them up."

"A minor detail," Emmett said. "But what's NOT a minor detail is the fact that I am STILL missing an arm. But I'm ALSO sure that one of you is going to tell me that you have it, right?"

Jasper felt Bella's horror and remorse wash over her. "Oh, Emmett, I'm so sorry..." She turned and buried her head against Jasper again.

Esme made a strangled, coughing noise. "Oh, Emmett, we looked. Honestly, honey. There were just so many...parts. And all the venom made it impossible to follow a scent. But, um, Rose and I..." her eyes darted nervously to Rose, then over to a pile of scattered arms that were still writhing about on the stones of the courtyard, "well, we um, grabbed some on our way out, hoping maybe one of them might be yours..." she trailed off at the look of growing horror on Emmett's face.

"Oh, shit," was all he said before stepping over to the pile and frantically digging through it. He held up a small arm, clearly belonging to a female, and dangled the twitching limb in front of Rose. "Really, Rose? REALLY?"

"We didn't have a lot of time," Rose snapped, but she looked ready to cry if she could. "We just...grabbed what we saw on our way out. I'm so sorry, baby..."

With a roar of frustration, Emmett flung the arm across the courtyard into the fire and started pawing through the other limbs. Less than thirty seconds later it was obvious by his cursing that none of them were his. And if not the cursing, the fact that all of the arms had quickly followed the first one across the courtyard and into the fire was a sure sign they didn't belong to him.

Jasper could feel a wave of fear roll over them, and it was so intense that it overpowered Emmett's anger and frustration. Jasper spun around to look for the source, pulling Bella even closer to him in order to protect her. He relaxed slightly, though, when he recognized the tenor of the emotion as Carlisle's.

Sure enough, a moment later Carlisle was there, pulling Esme to him and burying his face in her hair. "Oh, God, I thought...I thought I'd lost you," he whispered, fear still filling his voice. Trapped between them, Alice squirmed around a bit until she was hugging Carlisle. The family stood silently for a moment before Esme spoke.

"Caius?"

"He got away." Carlisle shook his head. "I stopped following him when I saw the smoke". He looked over to where Bella stood, wrapped in Jasper's arms. She was shaking violently again, still upset by what had happened with Marcus, the fire, and now the loss of Emmett's arm. Jasper was whispering to her, the words so low that Carlisle could only make out a soft murmur.

As if sensing Carlisle's eyes on them, Jasper looked up and stared back at him. Carlisle cocked an eyebrow in question.

"Did she...?" Carlisle asked softly.

Jasper shook his head. "No." He looked down at Bella and stroked her head reassuringly. "She was going to, I think." Bella nodded in his arms. "But she changed her mind." She nodded more vigorously. "But she dropped the lighter..."

"He…Marcus..." Bella sobbed. "He wanted to die. That's all he wanted to do. That's all he talked about when he talked to me... He was trapped and he wanted to die, to follow his mate, and he wanted to kill those responsible. He never said their names, but now I know. Aro...Caius...he hated them all. They trapped him. He couldn't even kill himself, so he used me... He thought - he _hoped_ - that I would come back to avenge Edward. He thought I would lead the wolves back to kill them, and him too, but I couldn't..."

"Shhh...shhh..." Jasper whispered, kissing the top of her head. He looked at Carlisle, and then at the castle that was burning quite well now. Carlisle walked over to them, bringing Esme and Alice with him.

"But you gave him the lighter," he said to Bella, his voice gentle and with no judgement in it.

"I did," she whispered. "I thought he should at least be able to choose for himself, now that he was free..."

Emmett and Rose joined them. Emmett looked at Bella, and then at the burning castle. "Well, he chose alright. You could have waited, though. We almost didn't make it out of there ourselves – and my arm DIDN'T." He both sounded and felt bitter. It was something Jasper hadn't seen in his brother before.

"Ah...yes, your arm." Carlisle looked at his son, his eyes flickering over him and resting briefly on his shoulder. "Don't panic quite yet, son. I don't think it was in there, Emmett…"

"What?" Emmett interrupted, hope flowing through him. "What do you mean...?"

"Caius was carrying something with him when he ran out of the room. I didn't get a good look at what it was because Demetri was on me as soon as I reached the hall. Dealing with him slowed me down enough to give Caius a pretty good head start. I never did catch up to him, but as I tracked him, I kept catching a hint of your scent, Emmett. And Caius was running in a direction we hadn't hunted in."

"Wait...what? You think…you think he took my ARM?"

Everybody looked at Carlisle in shock.

"The fucker took my ARM and you want me to NOT panic?" Emmett said, bordering on hysteria. If the situation and subject matter hadn't been so serious, Jasper would have started laughing. Emmett both sounded and felt like a teenage girl who'd just won a pair of front row tickets to see Justin Bieber - only not in a good way.

"It's better than it being burnt to ash," Rose said sharply.

"Rosalie is right, Emmett," Carlisle said. "As long as he has your arm, there's chance we'll be able to get it back. If it was left in there," he gestured to the burning castle, "it would all be over."

"Why would he take my arm?" Emmett asked, still in a state of panic. Jasper had to agree with the panic – he too almost thought it would be worse to have Caius in possession of a limb than have it burnt. Maybe.

"What if...what if he's DOING stuff with it?" Emmett continued in a horrified whisper.

"Jesus Christ, Emmett," Rose said in disgust. "Do you REALLY think Caius is jerking off with your arm?"

"He probably took it for insurance, Emmett," Jasper said, joining the conversation before it could spiral down any further. "He now has something we want. Presumably, we have something HE wants." He glanced down at Bella, who stiffened in his arms.

"Surely he doesn't think we'd trade Bella for an arm?" Esme asked, giving Emmett an apologetic look. "No offence, sweetheart."

"I'm not an idiot, Esme," Emmett said. "I'd never expect you to. You're right, Carlisle." Emmett started to calm down. "Okay, so now that we've successfully completed 'Operation Get Bella Back', we need to launch 'Get Emmett's Arm Back', right, guys?"

"I think it might be prudent to first launch 'Get Further Away From the Fire Before It Spreads', along with 'Mop Up After Ourselves'," Jasper told him with a pointed look at the other group of vampires across the courtyard.

"Jasper's right. Alice?" Carlisle asked. "Can you see anything?"

Alice was already looking, her eyes glazed over. Jasper kept part of his attention on the burning castle and part of it on the Volturi who were left. He'd never seen vampires in shock before, but the group of remaining guard members certainly appeared to be.

Alice shook her head, bringing Jasper's attention back to the Cullens.

"Nothing is certain. Stefan and Vladimir are alright and up in their rooms. I do see them leaving, with Vladimir carrying Stefan. Richard is out in the woods. I think he must have been chasing the last of the werewolves because he just suddenly appeared to me. I think...I think Marton and Edmond were in the keep. I'm pretty sure I saw them – parts of them, anyway- before Emmett and I left."

"And the Volturi?" Carlisle asked, glancing over at them.

"I don't see anything about the ones that Bella had said were left behind outside to run a perimeter guard. I'm guessing the wolves got them. I see Richard lighting a fire, and the rest…the rest were in there with us."

"Wow," Emmett whistled softly. "So that's it? They're...gone? Bella really blew them all up?"

"Not all of them, Emmett," Carlisle said. "There are more in the guard back in Volterra." He looked at Bella.

"I didn't..." Bella started to protest again. "Marcus..."

Jasper snorted. "Nobody saw that but us, Bella. You, me, and Marcus."

Carlisle nodded. "Yes." He looked over at the other small group, who now stood glaring at them. "I'm afraid that's right, Bella. Whatever story is told about today, it might be less that the truth."

"We need to take care of them. Now," Jasper said quietly.

"Never mind them," Bella said, her voice a little shrill. "What about…what about their MATES? Aro and Caius, they had wives. Edward said they did. Now they're going to hunt ME down! I didn't even blow them up. Or, at least, Aro's wife will come after me."

"Well, it does appear to be the thing to do," Rosalie said.

Carlisle sighed. "Possibly. This whole situation is less than ideal."

That was putting it mildly, Jasper thought. "We need to finish them off," he jerked his head toward the guardsmen, "and then go after Caius to get Emmett's arm back."

Carlisle nodded slowly. "Caius is halfway to Italy by now. It's going to be tricky. I think the best thing to do would be to go home, back to North America, and go underground for a while. We need to let the dust settle, but we have GOT to get Emmett's arm back first."

Emmett snorted. "Yes, please, Carlisle." He glanced at the remaining guards. "Jasper's right, though - we should deal with them first."

Carlisle turned to look them over again. The surviving Volturi members consisted of a nameless guard member, who was sporting several werewolf bites, and Afton, who was holding a motionless Chelsea in his arms.

"I thought you said you took care of Chelsea," Jasper said quietly to Alice.

"Well, obviously, he put her back together again!" Alice snapped.

"Hmmm…" Jasper studied the group, and then turned to Carlisle. "They are dangerous, especially the female, even if she is currently not a threat," he said emotionlessly.

"So many have been destroyed already," Carlisle replied. "Including their leaders - OUR leaders, even though they betrayed us. To destroy more, in cold blood, I don't know..." He sounded as emotionless as Jasper had, but Jasper knew his emotions were really in turmoil. ALL of their emotions were in turmoil - elation at having won, shock at the way it had ended, and confusion, no doubt, about what would come next. Their world had been cast into chaos in an instant with Marcus' decision, the impact of which Jasper didn't even want to begin considering yet. All he knew was that the three standing in front of them represented an immediate danger.

"I disagree. We will have enough problems without leaving these loose ends. Loose ends should always be tied up," Jasper looked at Bella and winked, "or they come back to bite you in the ass."

"Hmm…I wish this wasn't necessary," Carlisle said, his voice still not revealing what he might be thinking, although Jasper could feel him.

Jasper cocked an eyebrow at him. Was Carlisle trying to return to his peacemaker stance now, before the fight was officially over, or did he just want to be convinced that he was making the right decision? But Jasper could feel it - Carlisle had indeed made his decision. "Really? Would you like to go over there and shake hands on that? Maybe let Esme examine Chelsea's wounds? Make physical contact with her? Are you willing to take that chance, Carlisle? Why in the world would you have to trust any of them? Just because they had the good sense to run when I shouted 'run', it does NOT mean we have forged some sort of bond with them. We need to end this now. Marcus did us a favor in there, and don't pretend it's anything else. There are only three left, and we are more than capable of finishing them off. I would hardly consider it needless destruction."

Carlisle winced and looked over to the group. The roar of the fire might have been covering their words, but it was clear that the other group knew they were the topic of discussion. Afton had set Chelsea down on the ground, where she remained still and silent, and he and the other guard had dropped into defensive crouches. They obviously knew what was coming.

It was anticlimactic, the final killings. And silent, except for the roar of the fire and an odd sort of keening that came from Bella as she watched the final destruction. Even with only one arm, Emmett made short work of the heavily wounded, nameless guardsman. Jasper took down Afton, and Alice once again dismantled Chelsea. This time, though, there was a fire to dispose of the pieces.

"What was that for?" Jasper asked her when he returned to her side. "Why did you cry for them? You wanted nothing more than to cross a continent to destroy Edward's killers, and now you cry at their deaths?" He didn't sound angry, though. Merely curious.

"I don't know" Bella said, still visibly upset as she leaned into Jasper. He put his arms around her, but pulled back from her far enough that he could look down and see her face. "I just..." She trailed off and looked over at the fire before continueing. "I just...it's sad. Sad they had to die. They might have been happy together. They probably were happy together. They were mated."

"Yeah, well, and they got to die together. You should be happy for them. Not everybody is so lucky in this life" Jasper said, the words coming out a little more sharply than he intended. He refused to have any sympathy at all for the recently destroyed coven. And under the circumstance, he couldn't believe she did, either. He decided to write it off to more of her craziness.

Bella leaned in to him again. "Well, there is that. I guess I should hope that we'll be that lucky, if it ever comes to that."

"Um, yeah. I've got a better idea. Why don't we just plan on NOT getting ourselves in that sort of a situation. We'll go with the plan we talked about before we ever came to this shit hole. When this is over, we'll go back to North America, and just disappear."

"Disappear, huh? Forever?"

"For as long as it takes, Bella."

"Sounds good to me."

"But in the meantime, what do we do?" Bella asked, pulling away from Jasper and turning to watch flames die down, leaving a smoking, ruined mess of blackened stones behind.

"Once again, they have managed to burn our castle down," Stefan said, sighing.

Bella and Jasper turned to him in surprise, not having heard him approach. He stood watching the dying flames, Vladimir standing silently beside him.

"At least this time," he continued, "they appear to have taken themselves along with it, no? Or did you do this?" He looked at Bella suspiciously.

"I did NOT burn down your castle or the Volturi. Let's get that straight right now! MARCUS burned down your castle AND the Volturi."

"You gave him the lighter," Emmett muttered. "And my arm COULD have been in there still. Nobody stops to think about these things."

Stefan glanced at him, and then back to the castle before sighing again. "Well, we will just start over. Again. Did anybody else make it out?"

"Richard did, according to Alice," Jasper told him.

Stefan nodded. "It is enough. And a castle is a small price to pay for the end of our brother's tyranny. You have done us a great service. We owe you," he finished, smiling at Bella.

Jasper felt Bella shudder in his arms. He rather thought that that was one favor she would not be collecting on any time soon.

"What do you intend to do next?" Stefan asked Carlisle.

"We will go after Caius. We believe he may have something that belongs to us."

Stefan glanced at Emmett again and nodded. "And then?"

"Then we'll return to North America. I think it would be prudent to withdraw for a while until we know what the ramifications of today will be."

Stefan nodded again. "Very prudent, I'm sure. We'll be sure to keep in touch."

"I look forward to it," Carlisle said. Jasper could tell he did no such thing, but his polite facade had reappeared, if only briefly. "We'll let you know how things turn out with Caius."

"And now," Carlisle said, looking at all of them, "we hunt - first to feed, and then to find Caius."

***********R*****************R******************R****************

They ran through the mountains almost as free, Jasper thought, as they had been back in Siberia. There was no pull dictating where they went this time, though. Only familial obligation sent Jasper and Bella running after Carlisle and the rest of the Cullens as he tracked Caius' progress through the forests and wild areas of Eastern Europe, heading ever westward. Alice's visions were nearly useless in their endeavor – Caius was evidently more than a little maddened from pain and acting purely on instinct.

They had followed Caius's trail westward from the castle, soon passing the point where Carlisle had earlier abandoned his pursuit. Hunting in this direction – the direction from which the Volturi had arrived – was still easy. Within minutes of leaving the smoldering ruins of the castle, they'd come across a herd of deer. In their desperation to feed and restore their strength after the fight, and to assist in their healing, they'd made quick work of draining the entire herd. Thirst had caused tempers to flare more than a little, and several family members had learned quickly to avoid feeding anywhere near Bella, who had snapped and snarled like a newborn at anyone who came near her. When they were done, however, everyone politely pretended like it hadn't happened. Jasper could feel alternating waves of embarrassment and gratitude coming from her, which he answered with a hug.

It had been barely twenty-four hours since Marcus had set the castle on fire when they came to the smoking remains of another smaller fire.

"Aw, SHIT!" Emmett screamed, kicking at the sweet-smelling ashes. "GODDAMMIT!"

The rest of them stood around the pile, staring at it in shock. Carlisle crouched down to stir the ashes with his hand, bringing it to his nose to sniff.

"It's definitely Caius," he said, standing back up. "But..."

"WHY?" Emmett cut him off. "Why me? Why MY ARM?"

"But…" Carlisle said, glaring at Emmett so he would be quiet, "I do not catch any of your scent, Emmett. Your arms are fairly large, all things considered - more than enough to leave at least a trace of your scent in the ashes. I detect none."

"Then where the fuck is my arm? And who killed Caius?" Emmett said, calming down.

Jasper and Bella circled the fire, both of them sniffing the air. Jasper squatted down, much as Carlisle had, and ran his hands through the leaves and dirt of the little clearing.

"Mstislav," he said, looking up at Bella. "Recognize him?"

Bella shook her head. "I don't remember... But I smell werewolf. I definitely smell werewolf."

Jasper nodded and stood. "I smell werewolf. And the human Mstislav, I think he did this. I think he tore Caius apart, and then returned to burn the pieces when he transformed back to his human form."

"And he took my arm? You're telling me a friggin' werewolf has my arm now?" Emmett stared at Jasper in disbelief. "What the hell do we do now?"

"Look for Mstislav."


	51. Chapter 51

**A/N So. This is it. I dragged my feet writing this chapter (sorry, I admit it). I didn't want it to end. I can't believe it's over. The whole idea for this story settled in my brain last August, and wouldn't leave me alone till I wrote it down. And now...well, yeah. It's done.**

**I'd like to thank JaspersDestiny for being such a WONDERFUL Black Market Beta. I could not have done this without her. I WOULD not have done it without her. I owe her oodles and oodles. If possible, I would wrap Mstislav up in a box with a gold ribbon and have him delivered to her doorstep. The best I can do, though, is write her an out-take.**

**I'd like to thank the Lambs, because, well, they welcomed me into the fold over at ALSL with open arms. They've been my moral support in the last couple months, and its thanks to them that I was able to finish writing the last few chapters. Even though I've always known where the story was going, and what was going to happen, I did reach a point where RL was making it difficult to write it all down. But having those ladies to talk to made it possible.  
**

**I'd also like to thank all my readers. Those of you who reviewed, whether it was once, or every chapter, thank you. My replies were a little hit-or-miss there towards the end, but I read every one of them. They meant a lot to me. I've made a lot of friends through this story, and that means even more. And for everybody that didn't review, I love you too - I hope you enjoyed the story! I was just thrilled to see that people were reading it. I hope you felt it was worth the time it took to read it.**

**Oh, yeah. SM owns the vampires in my story. I just borrowed them. And killed a lot of them.  
**

Chapter 51

"Jasper?"

"Yes, Bella?"

"We're out of shampoo. Will you go down to the desk and see if they'll give you more...?"

"It's 3:00 a.m., Bella. I doubt..."

"Nonsense. It's an expensive hotel. They'll give you more. Please...?"

"Bella, you've had five showers since we got here tonight. I don't think you need..."

"Please...?"

Jasper rolled his eyes and rolled off the bed, striding to the door of the bathroom so Bella could receive the full effect of his disgruntlement. As if a glare would be any more effective than the waves of 'I don't want to' he was sending her way. The door was already open a crack, and he pushed it the rest of the way open to find Bella, her hair dripping wet, wrapped in a small towel.

Looking at him.

With the _look_.

"Please?"

"How about if I just stay in here with you instead?" he asked, entering the small bathroom and closing the door behind him. She backed up a step, her legs hitting the edge of the tub.

"We're supposed to be working..." she whispered. She might have been saying 'no', but her emotions were saying 'hell, yes', so he took another step towards her.

"Hmmm...and me getting you shampoo is part of the plan _how_?" He reached her and snaked an arm around her to prevent her from falling back into the tub if she tried to back up again. She shouldn't fall, of course, being a vampire and all, but he never knew with Bella. Leaning down, he drew his nose along her jaw line, and then dipped his head a little further to lick the scar on her neck. "I fail to see the connection between fetching shampoo and finding a werewolf..."

Bella shoved him backward, and in his surprise he went stumbling into the door. She was on him in an instant, licking the scars she'd left on his shoulder over the last few months before stretching up further to whisper in his ear. He obligingly bent his knees a bit to give her easier access, curious as to where she was going with this.

"Because, lover..." she paused to place a kiss on his neck, "I don't think Mstislav is going to join us in our room. You need to go downstairs because he always meets you in the lobby, remember? That's why we're here in the first place. So, while you're down there, pick me up some shampoo. It's worked before."

"Yeah, well, if you're trying to keep this authentic and all, we've technically made love in the past, too. So...in the interests of keeping all the variables as close to the original conditions as possible, I think we should make love." He kissed the bite mark on her neck, and then moved to kiss down her shoulder and around to her chest, making his way down to the top of the towel before she pushed him away again.

"Jasper, we did it that way _last_ night, and the night before, and the night before that - and you never made it down to the lobby at all. We've smelled him all over this city during the day while we've toured the museums and every other dusty, old building that's caught your interest, and I'm sure he knows we're here. Emmett's getting a little antsy and Carlisle's getting impatient. You need to go downstairs so we can finish this up and go home."

Jasper sighed. She was right. They had a job to do, and he'd allowed himself to get too distracted by her over the last few days. Being able to just love Bella, to just _be_ with her - with no pull, no craziness, no _anything_ hanging over their heads…except Emmett's damn arm – had been fantastic.

Right, then. Shampoo it was.

"_Now what?" Emmett asked, looking between Jasper and Carlisle. "We track the werewolf? That shouldn't be too hard – he's changed back to his human form. This should be a breeze."_

_Neither Jasper nor Carlisle responded. They merely exchanged a look._

"_Right? Guys?" Emmett started to sound panicked. "Oh, my God! You don't think he _ate _it, do you?"_

_Carlisle sighed. "They can't consume us like that Emmett. I think he took your arm, but I don't know why."_

_Jasper looked thoughtful. "He probably took it because Caius had taken it. Even if he didn't know why Caius had it, he would have realized that there was _some _reason Caius was carting an arm around with him."_

"_But how..." Rosalie interjected, "I mean, I thought they weren't really capable of reasoning when they were in their wolf form."_

"_They're not," Jasper said. "But he obviously changed back at some point, because he was able to burn Caius. And Caius – he was obviously torn apart enough to not cause an immediate threat to a newly transformed Mstislav. Mstislav must have realized there was an extra limb in the wreckage – good thing you wore that purple sweater, Emmett – and decided to save it."_

"_Do you think we'll be able to get it back from him? Maybe he's keeping it as a war trophy..."_

"_I don't honestly know. It's a pity he didn't just drop it. It would have eventually made its way back to you, you know," Carlisle said, watching Emmett for his reaction._

"_It would have? Really?" Emmett looked at Jasper for confirmation._

_Jasper shrugged. "I have no idea. We've never really, um, had to deal with a situation like this back in the day."_

"_You mean you never had any of your soldiers lose limbs?" Emmett was surprised._

_Rose sighed. "No, Emmett, I think Jasper probably means they didn't _keep _any soldiers who lost limbs."_

_Jasper shrugged apologetically at Emmett. "Sorry, dude. It really was a liability we couldn't afford in the world I was in. I defer to Carlisle's greater knowledge in this area."_

_All eyes turned back to Carlisle. "Yes, Emmett, given enough time, your arm would find you again - if it was free to do so. It might even be possible for _you _to find _it_, if you could…um, clear your mind enough to sense where it was…" Carlisle trailed off. Everyone in the group knew the chances of _that _ever __happening. Alice had to stifle the laugh they were all feeling. "But I don't think we should wait for that to happen. A disembodied limb is bound to attract attention, and it would be very vulnerable to such human attention in its current state - that is… assuming Mstislav were to ever let it go. It would behoove us all, I think, to go ahead and attempt to track him down ourselves."_

_Emmett looked at Bella. "What about you, Bella? Did _your _body...look for your head while it was separated?"_

_Bella shrugged. "I don't know, Emmett," she replied quietly. "I don't know anything about happened to my body while my head was separated." Her hands rubbed absently over the bite marks Jasper knew her clothing hid. "I'm sorry. For all I know, my body tried to get back to me, but…I just don't know. They kept it in that hole in the ground for _some _reason, so my guess is yes, it would have eventually found me."_

"_Hmmm…alright. So, what's the plan?"_

"_I think we should let Mstislav find _us," _Bella said, causing the rest of them to look at her in surprise. "What? It's a good idea. The man found us everywhere we went in Siberia."_

"_Bella," Jasper said, "that was because he was following us. He has no reason to follow us now. He's completed his mission. He's had his revenge." He tried to sound patient, but he realized as the words were leaving his mouth that he only sounded patronizing. Clearly Bella thought so, too, based on the anger that had bubbled to the surface at his words._

"_I disagree, Jasper," she said in a tight voice. "I think we just need to go in the direction of his scent, and you and I need to get a hotel room. He'll show up. He always does."_

"_He didn't come to us when we were in the village."_

"_We were never alone, except in the tower," she pointed out. "I hardly think he'd have come into the castle. He might have some impressive cojones, but he's not an idiot."_

"_She's got a point, son," Carlisle said gently. "And it is at least a place to start."_

_Jasper sighed. If he was honest with himself, it wasn't that he thought the plan was bad - he just didn't like the fact that it included Bella. He felt like she was finally safe, and the thought of taking her into danger once more made him nervous. He said as much out loud._

"_But Jasper," she said patiently, the anger draining away. "I won't _be _in danger. He's human right now. He won't be a danger to us for another month. I'm not human anymore, Jasper. I'm as strong as you are now. I'll be fine. It's worth a try, at least..."_

_Jasper pulled her to him, burying his face in her hair. "Alright, alright. You're right, of course. It's worth a try."_

"_And if I _am _right, which I know I _am," _she mumbled into his chest where he had pressed her face, "I get to carry the Bond Bag next time."_

_Emmett sighed. "Well, thank God we're doing _something_. This is going to work, I can feel it..."_

_They all turned to look at Alice, who just shrugged. "Sorry, I see Jasper and Bella checking in to the Art Otel in Budapest, but nothing past that."_

_Emmett perked up even further. "But that means it works, then, right? Because you can't see the werewolves! That means he shows up!"_

_Alice shook her head. "Not necessarily, Emmett. It could just mean that none of us make any decisions __past that point. But," she said before he could get depressed again, "that's the way these things work. Let's get to point 'A' first and worry about the rest later."_

"_Not too much later," Carlisle murmured. "We do need to get off the continent as soon as possible. Word of what has happened here will eventually drift back to Italy. I'm sure Sulpicia and Athenodora are quite possibly already aware that _something _has happened to their mates."_

_Emmett groaned. "This has _got _to work. I can't spend eternity without an arm."_

"_Cheer up, Emmett," Bella said, a wicked grin appearing on her face. "Just think, it would open up a whole new section in your book – Records Broken Using Only One Arm!"_

_Emmett glared at her. "Not funny, Bella. Not funny at all."_

"_I thought it was," she murmured, but she turned away to hide her smirk._

Which was why, Jasper thought, he was once again in the lobby of a hotel, trying to get more shampoo from a sleepy and uncooperative desk clerk who only spoke Hungarian - a language Jasper had never mastered or even dabbled in. It was total bullshit, Jasper thought. The hotel had more than its fair share of international guests. He knew damn well the man spoke English. The clerk had disappeared into a back room - whether to hunt up the requested shampoo or return to his bed, Jasper wasn't sure.

"He probably understands you just fine," a familiar voice behind him said. "But you've pissed him off by waking him at this hour. Shampoo? Really, Jasper? I never thought of you as being so...effeminate. Do you have a scent preference?"

Jasper spun around. Mstislav was watching him from across the hotel lobby. He chuckled a little – Bella would be so pleased that she'd been right and he'd been wrong.

"Mstislav," he said, nodding.

"Join me for a drink, Jasper? A toast to our success, perhaps?" He gestured to the bar.

"The bar's closed," Jasper said, his eyes flickering to the glass double doors, which led to the bar area, and then back to Mstislav.

"Not for me," Mstislav said. "I took the liberty of ensuring the door remained unlocked, and I've already procured us a bottle of Hungary's finest Palinka. It's much better than the swill they make back in Siberia."

Jasper smiled and shook his head. "Alright, then." He followed Mstislav through the glass doors, which were indeed unlocked, and joined him at a table. The dim light was not a problem for his vampire vision, and it clearly wasn't a hindrance for Mstislav's either, based on the precision with which he poured two glasses of the fruit-based liquor.

He handed a glass to Jasper. "I realize you do not drink, but perhaps the smell of a fine Palinka is still something you can appreciate, yes?"

Jasper took the glass. "I was more of a whiskey man back in my human life," he said, tentatively sniffing at the glass. He relaxed a bit as the aroma of apricots filled his senses. "It's rather a hit and miss thing with us, I'm afraid. But yes, this does smell quite good. Thank you."

Mstislav nodded. "You're welcome." He held up his glass. "Shall we toast? To the success of both our missions!"

Jasper raised his glass and clinked it to Mstislav's. "Indeed."

Mstislav downed his glass in one gulp. Jasper hesitantly raised his to his lips and took a cautious sip, wrinkling his nose in disgust at the small amount that passed his lips.

"No luck, eh?" Mstislav said sympathetically, pouring himself another glass full.

Jasper shook his head. "No. Hope springs eternal, though."

Mstislav chuckled. "It does indeed, my friend. So, what brings you and your mate to the fine city of Budapest? Or is she still your sister? Or should I, perhaps, ask _her_?" Mstislav's gaze slid away from Jasper and moved to the door. Jasper turned in his seat to find Bella standing there, watching them both carefully.

"Come," Mstislav said, standing up from the table. "Come, join us, child." He pulled a seat out for her and Jasper growled under his breath. "Oh, relax, vampire. I do not want your mate. I am only being polite. She seems much calmer than the last time I saw her - calmer, and more...in control, perhaps? In her right mind, even?" He looked down at Bella, who'd taken the seat he'd held out for her with a small nod of appreciation. "You've been good for her, Jasper." He seated himself again and held out his hand across the table to Bella, causing Jasper to growl again a little louder this time. "I am Mstislav, dear, and I seem to have a lot to thank you for."

Bella glanced at Jasper and then reached out to tentatively grasp Mstislav's hand. He shook it gently and then released her.

"Now," Mstislav said, his tone more business-like. "I _do_ have a lot to thank you both for, so I've brought you a present." He reached beneath the table and pulled out a metal suitcase, setting it on the table top. "When I found this after dispatching dear Caius, I thought perhaps it might be something you'd be interested in. I did not recognize the scent at all, of course, but I thought that surely if Caius was running away with it in his possession, there must be _some_ reason." He opened the metal case to reveal a brawny arm seated within a padded interior that smelled strongly of naphthalene. The arm twitched and immediately tried to claw its way out of the restraints that held it in the case. Mstislav slammed the lid on it and looked over at Jasper.

"Look familiar?"

Jasper nodded. "It belongs to my brother."

Mstislav pushed the case across the table to him. "Then by all means, return it to him with my compliments."

"I don't understand," Bella said. "Why did you take it in the first place? Why not just burn it or leave it behind?"

Mstislav shrugged. "As I said, I thought there might be a reason Caius had it with him. I didn't want to leave it behind to be possibly found by a human. I thought to give it back to you, if indeed it was something you wanted, otherwise I would have just burned it. I was hoping you'd turn up here soon – I knew you were in town, but really, I dared not approach you on the street and offer you a body part. And I dared not go up to your room in case I had misread your intentions."

"Scared of us?" Jasper asked, smiling and baring his teeth in a way that was usually guaranteed to make humans back away.

Mstislav smiled. "I prefer to think of myself as cautious. I will share a secret with you, vampire. We may be almost your equal during the full moon, but in this form? I am almost as frail as my human brothers - a little faster, a little stronger, a little...angrier, but definitely vulnerable to you."

"You tell me this now? What is to prevent me from killing you?"

Mstislav shrugged. "I no longer care if I die. My reason for living is over."

"That's a little dramatic, don't you think?" Bella asked.

"Is it, child? You think so? I have put a lot of effort into getting to this point. Indeed, most of the previous millennium, if you care to know. And now I am done. I taunted your lover earlier, telling him I had the better life, able to blend in and be human. But I do not really believe that. We are cursed, my kind, far more than you and your kind. You may not be able to blend in easily with the humans, but you have the option of other immortals. You are able to gather together with others of your kind - sharing a life, sharing love. My kind? We are of neither world - unable to fully integrate with a human community, unable to join together easily with others of our kind. Two or three days a month of rampant rage, killing, and brutality do not make for the best of bonds, believe it or not."

"I don't know about that," Jasper said. "It seemed to me you all traveled in a pack just fine, both back in Siberia and just a couple of weeks ago in Romania."

Mstislav shrugged. "An aberration, I assure you - one created by myself and a few of my family members. It took centuries of experimentation on my part, and more recently, decades of planning. You, child, literally falling into our lap…well, that sped things up even more. You were a chance I didn't dare pass up. It forced me to...recruit...rather heavily, I'm afraid. I'd like to say I regretted having you lead all those young men across a continent to their deaths, but I'd be lying. Their lives were empty, and they were destined to die young due to drink or violence. So, really, I just sped things up a bit for them. This whole thing went off far better than I could have hoped for. Really, it was just Caius I'd been aiming for. I've heard, though, that you managed to destroy a rather large portion of your cousins, child. Kudos to _you_."

Bella looked at him in surprise. "All of this was just for Caius? All that back in Siberia - chasing me, chasing us, _using_ me - was to get back at Caius?"

Mstislav shrugged. "Surely you, of all people, understand revenge, child. Weren't _you_ willing to risk _everything_," he said, looking pointedly at Jasper, "in the name of revenge?"

Bella looked away. "I didn't ask him to come with me."

Jasper snorted.

"As if you could have kept me away, Bella. You didn't have to ask. I wouldn't have let anything happen to either of us." He pulled her closer to him and glared at Mstislav.

The werewolf snorted. "Young love. How sweet."

"I thought..." Bella began, but then stopped.

"Yes?" Mstislav said, arching an eyebrow at her.

"I thought that werewolves were the natural enemy of vampires. Like, it had been like that forever..."

Mstislav shrugged. "I don't know about that. It was known, in the time I came from, that werewolves could damage vampires. I rather think they avoided each other. There would not have been any _good_ reason for the two to interact. But the mortal – or in this case, _immortal_ – enemy thing, well, I admit that was all me and Caius. He took something of mine, and I've spent every moment of my existence since then making sure he regretted it."

"And did he?" Jasper asked.

Mstislav shrugged. "I don't know - you tell me, vampire. What do you know of werewolves? What have _you_ been told by your brothers and sisters?"

"Caius was terrified of werewolves," Bella said. "Edward told me. He had an irrational fear of them. He'd led wars against them, trying to get rid of them."

Mstislav nodded. "Indeed he did. There used to be many of my kind here in Europe and Eurasia. We have been gone from this part of the world for a long, long time. Only a few of us are left in the frozen wastelands of Eastern Russia. His fear and hatred of me led to the near-destruction of a species."

"I don't know if I'd call that a success," Jasper observed.

"Oh, I don't know, Jasper. That was almost the best part of it - all the killing, all the hunting, all the pogroms he led. And he never _was_ able to kill me. I'd lie low for a while – sometimes for a century or more – and then reappear and remind him that he was still not safe. I must say, though, I'm glad it's over. It was getting increasingly difficult to operate in this modern world. The last time I got close to him was in the early part of this past century. But, as I said earlier, we are vulnerable in our human forms, and one day I found myself rounded up with others, herded on to a train, and shipped to those frozen, misbegotten wastelands where I found you. And that, my young friends, is the short version of my story."

"What did he steal?" Bella asked.

"Excuse me?"

"What did he take that was yours?" she said. "You said he stole something of yours..."

"My wife," he said. "He stole my wife."

"Athenodora was your _wife_?" Bella asked, shocked.

Mstislav inclined his head. "That was not her name when we were together and both human…but, yes, she was mine before she was his. I have no idea why he chose her – I had no way of determining that when I was human, and once I...changed...I certainly had no way of finding out. He never seemed inclined to polite conversation with me, on the rare occassions that our paths actually crossed. Of course, I was never actually capable of speaking at those times...no matter. No, I have no idea why she was blessed with his attention."

Bella looked pained. "But, Mstislav, you've done the same thing to _her_ that he did to _you_. You took her mate from her."

"My wife died a thousand years ago, girl," Mstislav said harshly "That..._thing_...in that castle in Italy is no more my wife than a dog in the street or a cow in the field. Caius killed my wife that night in our village, and now, finally, I have killed _him_. It is over." He was standing now, speaking loudly and leaning over the table towards Bella.

Jasper was on his feet and he growled in warning. Bella growled, too. Mstislav eased back into his seat, and after a moment, Bella quieted and Jasper relaxed.

"My apologies, vampire."

"Hmmm…I think, perhaps, that it is time for us to part ways, Mstislav," Jasper said. He reached down and grabbed the suitcase and then stood and took Bella's hand, pulling her up with him.

"Yes, yes, you are right," Mstislav said, also standing, but he made sure to stand well back from the two vampires. "Maybe there was some truth to Caius' words – maybe our kinds really are natural enemies. A pity, I could have enjoyed your company, Jasper."

Jasper said nothing, but he did release Bella's hand and held his own to Mstislav. "I'm not sure about that, but...thank you for your help back at the castle. And thank you for getting my brother's arm to us."

Mstislav shook his hand briefly and then stepped back again. "Good luck, Jasper…Bella." He nodded to her and she nodded back briefly. "It was a good day's work we did." Nodding again at both of them, he strode to the door of the bar. They watched him cross the lobby and exit the hotel into the darkness. Jasper noticed the man at the counter had still not reappeared from wherever he'd disappeared to earlier, and he wondered if the human had had more than a passing hunch about who - or _what_, exactly - were meeting in his hotel bar.

"Now what?" Bella asked, looking down at the suitcase in Jasper's other hand. "I seem to be saying that a lot lately..."

Jasper laughed. "Now we give Emmett his damn arm back, fly home on Carlisle's new private plane, and go find that hot spring I promised you."

"That's it? It's over?" she said, looking at him in surprise.

Jasper snorted. "Hardly. I have a feeling it is _far_ from over, Bella - at least in the way vampires measure things. But for now - for _us_ - it is over. We'll return to North America. The family will split up, making it more difficult for anyone to find us. Alice will try and monitor what happens over here as best she can, along with Carlisle maintaining contact with Stefan and Vladimir. Once we know better what the fallout is from your little adventure, we'll be better able to make decisions about what to do next. This could take _years_, Bella, maybe even _decades_. Vampire time and human time are very different."

"I'm beginning to realize that," she murmured.

"Yes, I'm sure you are." He smiled down at her. "And so, while it is not _truly_ over yet - for us, for a while at least - it is over. And I see no reason why, while we wait to see what happens next, we cannot spend our time in a hot spring somewhere - _after_ we return Emmett's arm to him, of course."

"Of course." She started walking for the elevator, but then paused and turned to look back at him. "Jasper?"

"Yes, Bella?"

"Did you get the shampoo while you were down here?"

**The End**

**A/N2 OK, folks, last chance to review...I'll make it worth your time. sort of. **


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